


Black & White

by Mocon52



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-06-06 11:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6751918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mocon52/pseuds/Mocon52
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calamity borne on scales of white. When an undocumented Elder dragon with the power to destroy whole countries threatens the fate of mankind, a man born of its blood must rise to the challenge and, along with some unlikely allies, complete the sword that can save us all. But will it be enough to stop the King of Heaven?(Oc-centric)(I do not own Monster Hunter)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Arrival

The boy was alone when the dragon came. From the time he was dumped at a shabby, rundown orphanage by a mother who didn't love him (who in turn was abandoned by a father who didn't want him), to when the monster eclipsed the sun that cursed summer day, he was always alone. The boy was alone, huddled in the ashes of someone he probably knew and was hated by, just as anyone who had seen the boy likely did. The boy himself was not at fault for this. Local superstition taught those around him to hate him, as he was cursed with those damned silver eyes and white hair that had doomed him to a life of rejection. The boy felt alone when the bullies beat him for his features. He felt betrayed by the world when their parents blamed him for their child's behavior, as it was easy to blame someone who has no one. He felt nothing when it burned them to ash and destroyed everything he knew, for all he knew was despair. The boy was alone before the hunter came.

 

"Cassandra! Hey, Cass!" a young man, clad in full Rathian gunner armor that almost hung off his extremely skinny, tall frame, exclaimed. He was running through the bustling street of Val Habar, slipping and squeezing his way through the crowd.

"Issac? I thought you were still training in Harth!" Cassandra exclaimed in surprise, embracing the other hunter, her Zamtrios S armor scraping lightly against his. It brought out the sky blue of her eyes, which were scanning the face of her childhood friend, whose pale (and slightly blushing) face and chocolate brown eyes seemed to be pleading for air as she squeezed it out of him.

After Isaac had recovered his breath and his composure, a huge grin spread across his face which was partially covered up by his nappy orange hair, "I was, until I heard the news. Congratulations on making G-rank, short stack! I knew you had it in you!"

"Stop calling me that!" she exclaimed, visibly annoyed, "I'm not short, you're just freakishly tall!"

"Sure, shrimp. Look, I didn't come just to play around." he said, ruffling her raven black hair, "Have you heard about the new guy yet?" Her eyebrows raised in intrigue, as she had not heard of any "new guy" as of late.

"I haven't, actually. I've just been running and gunning all month to get the whole G-rank thing done, so I haven't had time to talk to anyone. Whats so special about him?" she asked as they walked towards the guild hall.

"Figures. You always were impatient. You're gonna get yourself killed if you keep rushing into things like..."

"You rush into things all the time, you hypocrite!"

"Yea, but that's because I'm good at being reckless. You can barely walk correctly."

"I can make you not be able to walk at all." she threatened, brandishing her hammer, Meaty Smash, with an angry fervor.

He ignored her threat and continued, "I believe you know the name Mathias Black, correct?" he asked, soliciting a shocked sideways glance by Cassandra.

"He's like the greatest hunter in the world! How could I forget that name?! I had posters of the guy next to my bed when we were kids!"

"Yeah, and every morning before a hunt you would kiss that big headshot of him that you had behind your closet door. I remember."

"Not so loud! And I told you that in confidence!" she punched him hard on the shoulder, her tanned cheeks now slightly pink, "What about him, anyway?"

"You know how like ten years ago he took on an apprentice?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, word is..." Isaac hesitated, placing his hands on the giant wooden door of the guild hall, "the new guy was the Black hunter's apprentice."

No way! she thought incredulously as the great doors slid open slowly, her heart beating much faster than she would like to admit. _His apprentice...here? In our guild hall?_

"You ok, shrimp? You look a little red." the taller hunter teased, his voice laced with enjoyment as he watched the blush intensify.

"I-I'm f-fine, jerk!" she stammered, unleashing a flurry of punches on his left arm, which only managed to turn his light giggling into a full bout of laughter that only added to her rage, "So what if he's coming to our guild, anyway? Its not like he'll do anything with us!"

"But what if he does? We could finally start that team we've been talking about!"

_That would be nice. Having a guy like him on our side would make our hunter ranks skyrocket._ she thought whimsically, but soon scowled at the thought, "We shouldn't get our hopes up about that. Besides, we're good enough on our own."

"Hmmm, I guess your right. One look at you and he'll have run out of the city before we even have a chance to ask him!" he jeered, casting a sideways smirk at his companion as she brought her hammer down on his foot, As he hopped around in pain, she took a seat at the dining table and glanced around the hall. _Guess he's not here yet. Oh well._

"Boyfriend giving you trouble, princess?" a large man, about 30, clad in full Gypceros armor asked, sitting down next to Cassandra with a tray of food. Not this guy again! she thought as she buried her face in her menu. Ever since he first registered to the guild hall, the switch axe hunter Fang has had his eye on the poor girl, who frankly detested his presence altogether. This happens often, as she was the only female hunter enrolled at the Val Habar, making her the object of affection for the more classless monster hunters.

"He's not my boyfriend and neither are you, Francis, so don't call me princess and stop moving so close to me. Its creepy."

"The names Fang, angel, F-A-N-G! And don't you forget it, either!"

"How could I forget the stupid name you chose to replace the equally stupid name you had before." she said nonchalantly, eyes scanning the menu as the hunter next to her reached out his hand and, at a speed his fat arms shouldn't have been able to move at, snaked it around her neck, pulling her closer. "Don't be like that, doll. How's about we get out of here?" This caused an uproar of hoots and hollers from the other hunters and a small yelp of surprise from Cassandra, whose head was now pressed firmly against his chest plate.

Something hard pressed against Fang's head, which caused him to tense up in fear. "Hands off, bastard." Isaac said angrily, cocking his Agna Magnum with a loud click. "Unless you want a crag shot in that empty skull of yours."

"Hey, Doodles! No fighting in the hall!" the guildmarm yelled from the other side of the registration desk. "If you want to settle something, you know how to."

Of course as seasoned hunters, everyone present knew how "things were settled" around here. The arm wrestle barrel was a symbol of status in the hunter community. While the guild recognizes a monster hunter's rank through the amount and difficulty of the contracts they complete, the monster hunters themselves measure rank based on who beats who in that infamous battle of pure brawn.

"Wanna go, Carrot top? Or are you not man enough?" Fang asked sneeringly, slamming his elbow on the barrel.

"You know what?" Cassandra bolted up from the table and ran to the barrel. "I'm tired of this bull. Lets see who's really man enough, Francis!" she smashed her hand into his and pushed her elbow onto the barrel.

"You're gonna let your woman fight your battles for you, Twig?" Fang said, a drop of sweat sliding down his fat cheek as Cassandra glared at him with a look of utter malice.

Isaac let out a small laugh and, having rested his heavy bowgun against the wall, fell down onto a bench with a mischievous smirk. "Course I am. Her giant man hands should be enough to beat a fat pig like you."

"After I kick his ass, I'm gonna shove that gun of yours so far up your..." Cassandra yelled angrily.

"No swearing, Doodle! Keep it PG, will ya?" the guildmarm cut her off.

"...Yes, Miss Guildmarm." Cassandra said dejectedly, "I'm still gonna beat you both!"

Francis (ahem) Fang was doing just about all he could to keep his hand from touching the opposite side of the barrel, grunting and breathing heavily as the girl smirked with satisfaction.

Suddenly, the great doors of the guild hall swung open with a loud slap, as though it was hit with a cannonball. The sound and the blast of air tore both Cassandra and Fang out of their match, their necks craned at awkward angles to see the newcomer. In fact, everyone else in the hall was attempting in someway to get a glimpse, as everyone who was registered or working there was already present.

What Cassandra saw when she turned around took her breath away. He wore all white, from his long formal jacket that reached his ankles to the caravaners cap that only slightly obscured his handsome visage, made from a material that she couldn't couldn't recognize but wanted to feel. He was pale, with snow white hair sticking out beneath his cap and silver eyes that seemed to pierce the soul. He wore a sword at his hip, its sheath and hilt wrapped in a thin silver chain that rattled with his every footstep. Slowly, the man walked up to the registration desk, an aura of refinement about him.

"And who might you be, handsome?" the guildmarm asked dreamily, resting her arms on the desk in a relaxed pose. _No way,_ Cassandra thought, her grip on Fang's hand tightening to the point of agony for the other hunter. _Its him! Its really him!_

"G-rank hunter Aiden White, apprentice of Mathias Black. I would like to register with this guild hall for the time being, if you'll have me." _Its the Great White Hunter, Aiden White!_


	2. Chance Meeting and Hunt Start!

The boy was given a choice. It had been three days since his world was burned to cinder by the monster, and yet the boy had not moved an inch. He remained huddled in the ashes of his reality, starving, cold and parched. The boy felt none of this, however. In fact, he simply felt nothing at all. The new world that had opened for him gave him the choice of pain or numbness, and the boy had chose the latter, for sometimes feeling nothing is better than feeling something. The boy was given a choice when the hunter came and offered his canteen of stagnant water. "Its up to you," he had said to the husk of a child that lay sprawled before him, "do you want to give up and let that thing win, or do you want to come with me, continue living, and become strong? Will you let it kill you, or will you let me train you to kill it?" The boy was given a choice, and he chose correctly.

* * *

The shock of seeing the student of her childhood hero must've given Cassandra a boost in strength, because when she turned back to look at Fang, he was on the floor surrounded by broken barrel fragments, writhing and whining about his "broken" hand.

"Whoops, sorry. Guess I got carried away." she let out a nervous giggle and backed away towards Isaac, who was still staring at the newest addition.

"See, I called it. It's all in the man hands." he said excitedly, hopping up to his feet while gesturing with his own hands. Cassandra, however, was much too anxious to notice his insult. Her mind was racing as she thought of all of the ways she could screw up her introduction. She counted up to 37 when she felt a hand wrap around hers, "Don't just stand there drooling, Cass, let's go introduce ourselves already!"

_I wasn't...oh my god, I actually was drooling!_ she thought frantically, blushing hard while wiping her lower lip. _I can't meet him like this! Come on, Cass, you're a hunter! He's just a person, just talk to him._

"You're Aiden White, right? Welcome to Val Habar." Isaac asked with a warm smile, which completely contrasted Cassandra's nervous frown.

"Hmm?" the other hunter said, looking up from his registration pamphlet, "Ah, you must be Mr. Mechanos! Nice to finally meet you." he said with a formal bow.

The formality in his greeting took Isaac aback. "I should be saying that to you, man. You're a legend!"

"Come now, don't sell yourself short, . It takes a talented person to get a recognized title by the guild. And "Suicide Sniper", no less!"

"Please, you can just call me Isaac! And this is my friend, Cassandra." Isaac said, stepping aside to show his nervous wreck of a friend, "Cass, say hello." Isaac whispered through his teeth, nudging her forward lightly.

"And you must be Ms. Everly!" Aiden exclaimed, taking her bare hand into his gloved one before she had a chance to speak. "Pleasure to meet the "Dancing queen" of Val Habar." he bowed again and pecked the back of her hand, deepening her complexion to near crimson.

_He knows my title! Come on, Cass, say something!_ Cassandra thought frantically as he stood up. "Um...hi." ... _Good. Nailed it. Now I look like an even bigger idiot than before._

Thankfully Aiden was there to tear Cassandra away from her internal struggles, "So, what can I do for you two? You seem eager to ask me something."

"Oh, well Cassandra and I were thinking of expanding our hunting party and we were wondering..." Isaac began as one of the guildmarms shuffled over to Aiden.

" Aiden, the guildmaster would like to see you."

"Alright. Sorry to have to cut our meeting short, but I really must be going. Thank you for the warm welcome, and if you need anything, I'm your man!" Aiden said as he turned and followed the guildmarm back to where the master resided.

"Aw man! That meetings gonna take forever!" Isaac whined as he walked back to the dining table with Cassandra in tow, "And right when I was going to ask him too! Whatever. I guess we can just ask him later." he took a sip of whatever was in his stein (FYI it tasted like piss) and turned his attention to Cass, "So, what'd you think of him, anyway?"

"He was ok, I guess." at this point, Cassandra's blush and reasoning skills have returned to manageable levels, "He was too formal for my tastes."

"Cass, I've known you like forever. You've never been that nervous to talk to anyone before. You were literally glowing red, dude!" Isaac observed, eliciting another deep blush from his friend, "You got to admit he seemed pretty cool. He knew our titles and everything!"

"I guess..."

"Did you see his sword?" Isaac asked excitedly, leaning in closer to Cassandra, "It's legendary sword Godslayer! There's only one of those in the whole world!"

"I thought it looked different. Why is there only one?"

"It's made from the scale of an undocumented elder dragon. It's so rare that only one scale was ever retrieved. I wonder how it was constructed from just one, though. It normally takes about 15 scales to make..."

"Hey nerd, you're rambling again."

"Oh yeah, sorry. My teacher had me memorize every way a sword could be constructed for my last test."

"Speaking of which, hows your blacksmith training going? How long till you get your license?" Cassandra asked, happy that the subject had changed.

"At this rate, I still have another 3 years untill I can even take the exam." Isaac answered, noticeably depressed, "Harth blacksmiths teach so slowly. I've been stuck on swords for the past 6 months!"

"Sounds rough, man. Why didn't you just study in Cathar? Wyvernians are great blacksmiths."

"Correction, Wyvernians are great _artisans._ The best inventors come from Harth, even if Hell will freeze over before I get my license." he moped, face down on the dining table, "Aw, screw it. No time to be depressed, we still got to celebrate your promotion, shrimp!"

"What about White?" Cassandra asked, surprised at how quickly his mood changed.

"You know the guildmaster likes to interview hunters for hours. He won't be done for awhile, so I took the liberty of taking this!" he exclaimed, whipping out a hunter contract from his gunner's pouch. The mission was fairly simple, just protect a caravan while it passes through a hunting field.

"You sure about this one? The environment is unstable."

"If it wasn't unstable, they wouldn't have made a contract for it in the first place." he pointed out, placing a finger on the rewards section, "Plus, look at the pay!"

"Whoa, 20,000z! Just for an escort mission!"

"See? I'm great aren't I?" he said, rolling up the contract, "Let's get something to eat, then we can go on your first G-rank quest!"

"Don't get cocky, dork. We still don't know what we're up against here."

"Oh, come on. What's the worst that could happen?" an audible gasp erupted through the guild hall as everyone's eyes turned towards Isaac, who had a look of confusion on his face, "What?"

"It's bad luck to say that before a hunt, you idiot! That's like opening an umbrella indoors." Cassandra hissed.

"You can't possibly believe in all that crap!"

"Just shut up, Isaac! Let's hurry so that we can make it to the mission site on time."

A small cry from the other side of the hall caught their attention, causing them to turn their eyes to Fang, who was still on the floor.

"My hand..." he whined, flopping around like a fish out of of water. A very hefty fish, mind you.

"Damn. I completely forgot about him." Isaac noticed, standing up to get a better view, "Hey Micah! Could you bring your idiot brother to the infirmary already before he drowns us in tears?"

"Already on it." a tall muscular man sighed, lifting his sibling up like a rag doll, "I'm very sorry about his behavior."

"Don't worry about it, man. No harm done." Isaac said as the two men left the hall, "How could such a good guy like Micah have such a wreck of a brother?"

"I wouldn't know. They're like polar opposites." she noticed, eyeing the door, "I sorta feel sorry for the guy."

"Well, lets just hope we don't have to spend too much of our contract money paying for his hospital visit. You really went all out on him, Cass."

She averted her eyes towards the floor, her blush returning to her tanned face, "Yeah, well he deserved it. Besides, I didn't even notice what I was doing until he was already on the floor."

Isaac reached out his hand and gently ruffled her hair, "I'm sure he's fine, shrimp. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried!"

"Sure your not. Lets order something already, our ride leaves in half an hour."


	3. Betrayal in the Primal Forest

The boy was not human. A human could not run like the boy could, when the hunter taught him to use his legs. A person didn't have the strength that the boy did, when the hunter taught him to use his arms. A man couldn't see like the boy could when the hunter taught him to use his eyes. The boy was not human, and the world hated him for it. He was shunned from others, attacked, beaten, treated like an animal. Like a monster. Then the hunter came. The boy was not human, and the hunter loved him anyway.

* * *

Things started out smoothly. The two hunters reached the pick-up point on time, had a short chat with the caraveener, and off they went. The caravan had to cut through the Primal Forest to reach it's destination, which is why Isaac and Cassandra were hired for the job. The Primal Forest at that time of year was normally devoid of monsters, as the temperature was either too hot for the glacial monsters, too cold for the volcanic monsters, or too humid for non-temperamental monsters. Which was why Cassandra was so wary about the mission. What sort of large monster would live in the forest this late in the year, and why?

"You thinking about what kind of monster it is?" Isaac asked, ripping her from her thoughts as though he could read her mind.

"What do you think it could be? It can't be too big or people would've noticed it by now." Cassandra asked as she shifted her weight in order to keep up with the rapidly changing speed of the Popo in front.

"I have my theories. I do know one thing for sure, though."

"What?"

"There's not enough prey for a large monster to survive this time of year. Not even a Great Jaggi could live long here. But, a ton of caravans and weaker monster hunters come through this area. Enough to feed a Jhen Mohran, I'd say." he said with a grim expression, looking down at his rifle.

"You don't think..."

"It's got to be a human eater, Cass. You saw the bones at the entrance, right? Nothing we can't handle, I don't think. Probably wouldn't attack a caravan this size, but we should stay on our guard. It knows how to hunt peo..."

Suddenly, the caraveener came running into their cart, face damp with perspiration, "Hunters, we have a situation up front. Something's spooking the Popo!"

"Speak of the the devil. Sir, stay in the cart while we find the problem." Isaac commanded, jumping up to his feet with his bowgun in hand, "Cass, get your hammer out. Just in case."

"Gotcha." she conceded, following her childhood friend outside, "Where did all this fog come from?"

"Have no idea. I can clear it out for a little while so that the caravan can navigate, though." Isaac said as they continued down the line of cars. "What I want to know is why are there are so many cars on one caravan? They can't all be full, cause even if it's just hay it would be too heavy for the Popo to pull. This whole mission is weird."

"We can ask the caravaneer when we get..." Cassandra said, only to be cut off by her own horrified gasp.

"What?" Isaac asked, running to his friend who had already reached the front of the line. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. The Popo were trembling and covered in blood, squealing like puppies at the three still bodies laying haphazardly on the ground. Two were covered in deep cuts, and the other was ripped to pieces. Isaac could barely hold back the urge to heave when he took a step closer and realized that the mutilated body belonged to a child, and the other bodies were it's parents. "Oh my god."

They stood in avid horror for several seconds, until finally they took off in a dead sprint towards their car. They found the caraveener sitting against the corner of the small space, counting a large bag of zenny. He looked up from the money and flashed the hunters a lazy smile, "So, did you find the problem?"

Isaac immediately stormed across the car and lifted the man up by his collar till they were eye to eye, "You're goddamn right we found the problem, you greedy bastard!"

"Isaac, what the hell are you doing! He had nothing to do with that!" Cassandra screamed, trying to pry her friend away from the man who was frozen in horror. Isaac turned towards her and shot a look of anger that caused her to recoil.

"Like hell he doesn't! What would a family with a child be doing alone in the Primal Forest? Why are there so many cars on one caravan? Why does he have so much money?" he turned back to the caravaneer, "Easy answer. He's a human trafficker! He tricked the guild into posting his contract, doped his Popo with demon drug so that they can handle the weight, and filled the cars with illegals!"

"T-that's absurd! I would never..." the caravaneer pleaded, his gaze rapidly shifting between Cassandra and Isaac pleadingly.

"Then what's that sound?" Isaac asked. At first, the car was dead silent, and then they heard it. Thousands of whispers flittered through the air, each one with it's own language and accent, as the two hunters turned their venomous gazes towards the corrupted caravaneer.

"So what if I did, kid? Who cares if a few people get to live in a better country?" the caraveener sneered, only to receive a swift punch to the gut by Isaac.

"Like you actually care about them! All you care about is money, but you're gonna have to cash it in hell."

"Why?" he asked, his mocking tone now swapped with shocked intrigue.

"Cause the monster we're dealing with eats humans, and you just served it a fucking feast!" Isaac threw him down and turned towards the door, storming out angrily.

"What do you mean? I hired you to take care of it!"

"No, you hired us to protect a caravan full of hay and farm tools, not people. We don't know what's out there, and it's extremely dangerous." Cassandra said, kneeling down to be face to face with him, "Your greed and misinformation just killed a family. A child is dead because of you!"

"But, I...I couldn't have known..."

"I just hope you think that money was worth their lives, and the lives of everyone else you put in danger, cause your gonna have to live with it if we get out of here." As soon as she uttered the last word, an inhuman scream pierced the air, as well as shouting, gunshots, and curses. These unnatural sounds snapped Cassandra back to attention, and soon she was bolting to the affected car, hammer out and ready. When she arrived, she saw that not only was the top of the car torn apart in long, straight gashes, but there was also a pink liquid splattered around which she recognized as paintball remnants. She entered the car and, sure enough, there were at least 20 people huddled up against the wall, shocked and afraid, with Isaac standing in the middle, his gun pointing towards the hole, "Did you mark it?" she asked quickly, still in the doorway with her hammer clutched in one hand.

"Yup. Took a couple shots but I got it. I didn't get a good look at it, though, so all we have to work with is that it's definitely not a Bird Wyvern or Elder Dragon."

"Well, that does narrows the list a bit. Let's follow it before it washes the paint off!" she ordered, exiting the car with Isaac in tow.

* * *

"Hey Cass?" Isaac asked after they had followed the trail of fluorescent pink for some time.

"Whats up?"

"Sorry for getting you caught up in this mess. I should've known it'd be too much for us."

At this, she stopped moving and placed a hand on his shoulder, flashing a reassuring grin, "Don't worry about it, man. I'm as much at fault as you are, I accepted the contract too. At least we got two hunters on this then one anyway, and if we bag this guy, we'll have saved all those people!"

"I guess so. Especially since one of those two hunters is so great, smart, and devilishly handsome."

"I consider myself more beautiful than handsome, but whatever you want to call it."

"Oh ha ha, very funny pipsqueak." Isaac said sarcastically, enlisting a tiny giggle from the girl who walked behind him.

"What do you think they'll do to the caraveener when we get back to the guild?"

"They'll probably toss him in the Dundorma dungeon. I still have nightmares of that place." Isaac remarked with a shudder.

"I remember that! Why'd you have to bring that bomb into the Assembly?"

"It wasn't a bomb, it was an electromagnetic resonator! And it wasn't my fault that it exploded. I told that idiot Fang not to put his stupid rusted Switch axe near it, but you had to dare him, didn't you?"

"Come on, is wasn't that bad." Cassandra said, brushing the accusation aside.

"I got detained for a week! And I had to pay for the damages!" he returned angrily.

"Thats your fault for bringing a bomb to a public place!"

"It wasn't a bomb!" Cassandra giggled at his rant, but was suddenly quieted by his raised finger.

"Whats up?"

"Shhhhhhhh!" he crouched, darting his eyes around the area. They were completely surrounded by thick fog, which suddenly became so thick they could barely see each other. "Cass, your hammer out?"

She waved it lightly in front of him, close enough to just barely perceive it, "Of course."

"Good, cause I think it's behi..." he started as he was suddenly knocked back by an incredibly strong force.

"Isaac!" Cassandra screamed, frantically through the fog to find her friend. Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind and then searing pain in her left arm. She let it droop to the side with a yelp, and darted around to search for the assailant. She saw red and pink out of the corner of her eyes, and after turning to look towards it, she saw two floating blobs, one of the paintballs Isaac threw and her own blood.

"What the..." she began, when suddenly she lost feeling in her hand, losing her grip on her hammer. Her legs buckled beneath her and she fell backwards against a rock wall. _What the hell?! Why can't I move?_ she thought as the two blobs started moving closer, until they were only about a meter or two away. _What...is that_? The area around the blobs began to slowly become visible, like a stain slowly growing on fabric. Soon, after the colors returned to the figure and the fog dissipated, Cassandra's eyes could now make out the terrifying creature not a meter away from her crippled form.

"Lucent...Nargacuga!" she exclaimed feebly as it turned to look at her, it's red, maddened eyes send a shockwave of icy fear down her spine. She turned to look away, and saw Isaac leaning against the same wall as her, a thin trickle of blood running down the corner of his unconscious mouth. She looked him over, eyes widened in terror as she saw the spike sticking out of his still chest, "Isaac...no..." she said softly, tears filling her eyes. _Are we...going to die?_

The Nargacuga stood unmoving, staring at her with it's burning eyes. _Is it...my god, it's grinning!_ Her eyes went back to Isaac's unmoving form. _He can't be...he's not..._ The Nargacuga took a step forward, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Back...off," she mumbled. It took another step, it's grin widening. "Back off," she ordered louder this time, finding some hidden strength beneath her paralyzed form. It took another step forward, it's grin having been lowered slightly by the sound of her command as it stood just a step away from the two. "BACK OFF!" she screamed with all her might, causing the Nargacuga to jump back in surprise. It stared with burning eyes at Cassandra as it hunched down, the hairs on it's back standing up as it stretched out it's arm blade, ready to erase what had caused it such shock.

Using all her might, Cassandra focused solely on moving anyway she could. As it flexed it's arm, ready to pounce, she felt herself fall against the unconscious Isaac, shielding him with her body. _I won't let him die...I won't!_ she thought as it flashed it's wicked grin for the last time and jumped into the air. "I...refuse!" she stared right back into it's eyes defiantly as it arced down on the two and...


	4. The Monster Inside

...Like a bullet from an unseen gun, a figure smacked against the Nargacuga with such an extreme amount of force that it was blown at incredible speeds to the side, ruining it's killing descent. "I believe you heard the lady, dear brother," the figure said in a calm tone as it smashed the beast's face into the rock wall with a sickening crunch, "She only woke up the whole forest screaming it!" _What the fuck... is that?!_ Cassandra knew she's heard that voice somewhere, that tone that sounded regal, but not condescending. The figure turned towards her, his silver eyes flashing a sudden, strange glow as he scanned her body for visible wounds. _Aiden?!_ she thought as he swiftly creeped over to her fallen form. "My, quite the situation you've gotten yourselves into, my dear," he says as he bends down, completely ignoring the fallen monster behind him. His eyes follows hers as she stares at the monster who just seconds ago had threatened to end Isaac's and her own existence. "Don't worry about him, he won't be getting up for a few more minutes," he flashed a reassuring grin. His expression changed to one of worry as he turned to Isaac, "What's important at the moment is helping your friend here. May I?" _Oh god, Isaac! I haven't felt him breathing this whole time!_ she thought frantically, her eyes filling up with familiar tears as Aiden gently lifted her off Isaac's still form, propping her up against the rock wall.

"Please...save him." She felt so weak then, her energy leaking out like the blood from the cut on her arm.

"Don't waste your energy, my dear. I'll do what I can for him, I swear," he puts his hand against the side of Isaac's neck. Cassandra felt as though her heart stopped beating as he checked his pulse. _Please say he's still there, I can't...I can't lose him!_ Aiden's face lit up briefly. "He's alive!" Cassandra felt a great wave of relief wash over her body as Aiden switched his focus to the blade sticking out from Isaac's chest. He gently felt around the wound for what seemed like ages for Cassandra, who held her breathe in worry. Aiden's face lit up again as he began cutting Isaac's jacket up the front with his hunting dagger. "What a smart one your friend is, Cassandra!" he remarked as he removed the metal vest holding the Nargacuga's blade from Isaac's body. _He was wearing a vest!_ She was relieved beyond belief. _That asshole had me so worried!_

"He's got a mild concussion and the impact broke a few ribs, but he otherwise he'll make it alright." Aiden gently laid the hunter on his back, making sure to keep him in a comfortable position.

"Thank...you," she said, letting the tears fall down her pale face while the other hunter moved towards her.

"It was no problem at all, my dear hunter. I said I would be there if you two ever needed me, did I not?"

"Could you...do...me a favor, please?" Cassandra asked. Aiden turned to look at her, one white eyebrow raised in question. "Could you...not tell him that...I was worried? He would never...let me live it down." She managed a smile which he shared, along with a soft laugh. Her expression turned to one of shock, however, when her eyes met the scene behind Aiden. "Look out!" she exclaimed with whatever power she had left in her small body as the Nargacuga lunged at Aiden, slashing its blade at the hunter. Aiden reacted quickly, much quicker than Cassandra could ever have anticipated. With a strangely calm expression on his face, Aiden quickly turned towards the assailant and, with his right hand level to the blade, he launched it forward, catching the blade and stopping it completely with seemingly no effort.

"Oh, I'm quite sorry, dear brother," he said with the same calm tone, standing up slowly holding the blade as a look of utter shock spread across both Cassandra's and the Nargacuga's faces, "I didn't mean to ignore you. We can play now, if you would like?"

_That's...not physically possible! You can't stop an attack like that, with that much strength, it's just...not possible!_ Cassandra thought in complete shock as Aiden released his grip on the blade. The beast seemed just as shocked as Cassandra, for as soon as the other hunter let it's blade go, it retreated frantically into the mist, becoming translucent.

Cassandra's eyes darted around frantically in their sockets, trying to catch a glimpse of the monster who had simply disappeared, "Is it..."

"No, It's still here. That's no large matter." His face took on a fierce grin that caused an even stronger chill to run down Cassandra's spine than the Nargacuga's, his sharp looking teeth glinting in the moonlight as mist enveloped the hunters once again, "I've always loved a good game of hide and seek!"

_He's...insane. He's absolutely crazy! Is that why I'm so scared of him?_ Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep growl, then a loud whoosh. With incredible speed, Aiden whipped his hand in an arc in front of himself. The Nargacuga stepped out of the mist, it's body now lucent in the moonlight, a look of confusion on it's face.

"Looking for these?" he asked, holding up the hand to reveal four perfect tail blades. _He...caught it's blades?! He can't...be human!_ she thought as Aiden slowly retreated into the mist, the grin never leaving his face as he disappeared more and more into the fog, "Did you think you were the only one who could hide, dear brother?"

The Nargacuga began to spin around, growling deeply while it looked for the hunter. Suddenly, hearing a noise behind it, the beast turned around and pounced, eyes wild with fury. It did not like to be toyed with, especially not by it's food. It was so mad that it didn't notice the glowing silver eyes filled with mirth behind it, nor did it know what had hit it when one of it's own blades smashed into its shoulder. With a painful screech and a spray of blood, it whipped around to meet it's assailant, who had already left.

"Hard being the seeker now, isn't it?" he asked, ending the question with a dry laugh. His voice seemed to come from all directions, ricocheting off the rock walls. Cassandra, not being able to tell where the source of the voice was, turned her gaze to the Nargacuga, and was shocked at what she saw. _It's...terrified! I've never seen a monster, ANY monster get scared!_ It truly was mortified. It had never been challenged before, by anything. Fear was just another word it's prey used. That was, until it met the White Hunter.

Another whoosh, this time louder, and two more blades protruded from the Lucent Nargacuga's pelt. Blood began trickling from the corners of it's mouth now, the fear on it's face intensifying. "That's called pain, by the way. It's far less than what you regularly show your prey, however. Lets fix that, shall we?" A sound, like a hammer hitting a rock, echoed through the air, and the final blade fell from the sky and sliced into the monster's tail, nearly detaching it from the Nargacuga's body. It now hung lazily from its base, dangling from a few scraps of flesh. It's scream tore through the air, it's force blowing away the mist around them revealing the hidden hunter.

"I see," he remarked, one hand on his hat and the other on the pommel of his saber, "Playtime is over, I assume." With a click, he popped the shiny white sword from its sheath. The chains that bound it whirled off the sheath like a tornado as he slowly stretched out his hand. As soon as the dragon's paw shaped hook detached from the sheath, the chain began to wrap instead on Aiden's arm, until the hook swung around and attached to his back with a wet slap the caused Cassandra to internally wince. With his other hand, he removed his hat from his kempt snowy hair and flicked it gently towards the fallen hunter. She noticed the deep lavender scent that seemed to radiate off it as it fell onto her lap.

"Could you please hold onto my hat for a bit, my dear. It was a graduation present and I wouldn't want to sully it." His hair glittered like pure ice in the moonlight, his sword drawn in front of him. His grin was gone, replaced instead with a scowl that sent lightning bolts of fear into the two who could see it. The Nargacuga, after seeing that look of seriousness on the hunter's face, began to back up slowly, it's scales twitching in anticipation for a quick disappearing act.

It jumped back, shifting itself into non-existence. "Oh, no you don't!" he exclaimed, rearing back his sword in a slashing pose. _What's he doing?_ She didn't have to wait long to find out. "Oe Khai!" His eyes flashed silver as his sword, which Cassandra noticed beforehand was pulsating as though it was alive, made an audible shifting sound. He swiped it up in a full arc, releasing a strong gust of wind, stronger than anything that should have been possible for such a slash. The gust, hued silver like the hunter's eyes, seemed to veer here and there as though it was seeking something. Suddenly, the gust switched directions completely and slammed against it's unseen prey. _The wind...it was hunting the Nargacuga!_ she thought as a tornado of silver specks surrounded the Nargacuga, whose scales had begun to mottle and fall off. The Lucent Nargacuga, whose silver translucent scales were it's pride and greatest weapon, was now naked and disgraced to the world. It's armor rotten and useless, it's weapons broken, it's body bloodied, and it's soul crushed. Truly, the Hunter had become the hunted.

"No more running and hiding, brother. You no longer deserve the mercy of time, so bear your blades and fight!" The Nargacuga knew there was no way out for it now, not anymore. It turned to it's dangling, near stump of a tail. It knew it couldn't fight with such a burden behind it. With a wet smack, the last off the tail, bitten off with one snap of it's jaw, fell to the wet ground. It's eyes, burning with fury, met the hunters, and with a powerful roar it pounced. Aiden dodged the first strike effortlessly, and countered with his own. The Nargacuga blocked with it's arm blades, but was knocked back by the sheer force of the strike. It whipped around in the air, smashing it's blade into Aiden's. Seeing his chance, Aiden dragged his blade up the length of the Nargacuga's and spun, cutting deep into it's throat.

He fell into it's trap. With his blade stuck in it's neck, it closed its blade like scissors on the hunter. "Aiden!", Cassandra tried to scream. It came out as a whisper as the blades cut through Aiden's jacket to his skin. That's when she saw it. _H-he...he has...scales!_ Through the torn jacket, she could see large metallic plates, glittering in the moonlight as it repelled the Nargacuga's blades like a shield to a sword.

"Goodnight, dear brother." With one final swipe, the beast fell to the blood soaked earth. It's head followed soon after, with a look of fear superimposed upon it's face. Aiden bent down over the monster, it's blood staining his torn jacket. He placed a hand on where it's heart would be and closed his eyes, his scowl turning into a look of tranquility. He began to chant what seemed like a prayer, loud enough for Cassandra to hear, "My brother by blood, rest now, and may your soul return to nature not in anger, but in tranquility, having given man forgiveness for our greatest sin."

The battle lasted less than ten minutes, but to Cassandra it was like an eternity. She became extremely light headed, her brain over stimulated with questions for the...thing that knelt before her. Then again, she could also have been light headed because of the mysterious pool of blood that surrounded her. Isaac was hurt, but he wasn't bleeding, so it must've been her. But, from where? She only had a small nick on her...she turned her eyes to the cut, and from the very corner of her eye, she could see the source of the gore.

"Aiden," her voice now a whisper as the hunter sheathed his blade, the chains returning to it's place around the sheath.

"Hmm?" He turned towards her and immediately noticed the wound, which was now bleeding profusely.

He rushed over to her, dropping down to her level, "What's..." she began.

"Here, put this on." he said, placing the hat, which had laid unattended on her lap, on her head. The smell of lavender drowned out her panic as she took a deep breath, "You need to stay calm, my dear." He brought his nose close to the wound and lightly sniffed it, "Emptotoxin. It acts as both a neurotoxin and a powerful blood thinner."

No wonder she felt so cold! She turned her eyes to the other hunter, "What do...we do?"

"Not to worry, I have an antidote! I do need to stop the bleeding, though." His face took on a pensive look, and then a look of apprehension, "Looks like there's no avoiding it. My dear, please forgive me for what I'm about to do. It may seem highly inappropriate, but it is for your benefit entirely." He took a handkerchief and cleaned the wound up a bit.

She was about to ask what it was he was so worried about doing when he leaned in and gently ran his tongue against the cut. Even though she had lost feeling in most of her body, she still felt the familiar heat of a signature deep red blush. "...Why?" was all she asked, the blush turning scalding as he wiped the blood off his lips with a second handkerchief that he for some reason had on him.

"To stop the bleeding, of course." He stuck out his tongue and pointed to it, "You thee, my thaliva acts as a kind of mioyogical gwoo that..."

"What are you?" she interrupted, causing him to bring his tongue back into his mouth. His expression darkened noticeably in a way that made Cassandra regret asking it. Silently, he turned his attention to a pouch on his hip, rummaging through it until he removed a small vial full of red liquid.

He put his arm behind Cassandra's head and pulled her close to his chest, inciting an even deeper blush from her. He popped the cork of the bottle with his teeth and brought it close to her mouth. Seeing this as a command to drink it, she parted her lips and allowed the bitter liquid to flow to the back of her throat. With some effort, she swallowed what she believed to be the antidote.

She broke the silence with a questioning word, "Antidote?"

"No. That was Popo anesthesia. A lot of Popo anesthesia. You'll be unconscious any minute now." If she could move all the muscles in her face, it would have contorted into a look of confusion and anger, while his took on a lighter mood.

"I apologize again, my dear. The main side effect of this," he held up a syringe full of a dull, green liquid, "The real antidote, is extreme pain. I thought it wise to keep you from such a fate, considering the fact that you're currently overdosing on blood thinners. I wouldn't want you to have a heart attack on me." He then administered the drug to her bare arm, and then lifted her onto his back piggyback style.

"When I...wake up," she started, already feeling the effects of the anesthesia, "I'm gonna...kick your...ass."

He chuckled lightly, taking the tattered jacket he had removed before lifting her onto his back and using it to tie her to his body securely, "I'd be honored to see you try, my dear hunter." He bent down and lifted Isaac up now, holding him bridal style as he began to walk towards the exit of the forest.

She was almost out when he said something that would stay in her mind for the longest. "Before you sleep, you asked me earlier what I was." he began, stopping briefly to see if he could discern any signs that she understood him. She held her breath in anticipation. "A better question, and also possibly an answer to your own, is what **you** are, Cassandra?"

_What am I?_ she thought as the world turned hazy, _I'm...human._

_...Aren't I?_


	5. The Truth of this World

 

 

 

Cassandra awoke to a sharp headache and the smell of lavender. She slowly opened her eyes, the sudden light making her brain throb. The pain subsided after a while as she opened her eyes more. She first noticed that she was on a bed, but not her own. She then noticed a warm pressure on her hand, and heard a soft whisper coming from her midsection. Her muscles were a bit sore, so she just swiveled her eyes to look down at her hand.

"Hey shorty," Isaac said a bit louder now, Cassandra's hand in his as he leaned against her bed, "you probably can't hear me, but... could you please just wake up already? I must've said sorry about a million times already, but if you're mad at me..."

"I'm not mad, just a little annoyed," Isaac gasped and turned to meet her now open eyes, "Did you really have to call me short?" He wrapped his arms around her and pushed his face into the side of her neck, his unshaven face scratching her bare skin. Her lips curled into a smile as she returned the hug. She noticed his normally unkempt hair was even more messy than usual, and his scent of ash had been tainted with sweat. _He must've been here a while,_ her smile faded slightly. The embrace lasted a while, until Isaac finally pulled away. "How long was I out?" She asked.

He passed a hand over his tired looking face, "About 2, maybe 3 weeks." _3 weeks?! What happened...Aiden! That asshole!_ "You woke up a few times, but every time you did, you would scream and spasm until they knocked you out again." He let his hands fall to his lap and looked her in the eyes, "What happened after I passed out? Aiden said you were awake after I got attacked."

"Aiden was here? Where is he now?"

She noticed that his face softened slightly, "He was here about a week ago to check on us. Don't know where he is now, but he left you a little gift." He gestured towards her head. She reached up and grabbed the familiar object that was resting on her head. _Well, that's where the lavender came from,_ she thought, observing the white caraveener's cap, "I put it back on you after your last episode," he reached into his pocket and retrieved a piece of parchment, "He also left you a note."

Cassandra opened the sealed note and read it aloud, "My dear Cassandra, It seems that you would like some answers. I would like my hat back. Meet me at this address when you are well again, and bring Isaac. Yours truly, A.W."

"My dear? I thought it was Ms. Everly?" Suddenly, he squished his hands against his face and gasped with a look of mock surprise, leaning back in his chair, "I knew it. You slept with him! You Zinogre you!"

"What the hell, Isaac!" She took a deep breath and grabbed the bridge of her nose, "How can so much stupid fit in one person? How would I even have the time while we were being attacked by a monster?"

He shrugged, "Monster threesome?"

They looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. After many snorts from Cassandra and several tear wipes on Isaac's side, his gaze returned to her, his signature grin subsiding slightly. "So, mental image of that aside, what did happen while I was out?"

"With or without the lewd details?"

"Especially with the lewd details." She giggled a little, and then her expression darkened.

"Look, Isaac. What happened then...may be a little hard to believe, but all of it is true, I swear!"

"Now it's starting to sound like you actually had a monster threesome..."

"Isaac this is serious."

"I know, I know. Just...start from the top, I guess, 'kay?"

"Ok. So, after you got knock out..."

After Cassandra finished her story, there was silence in the infirmary room. Cassandra stared at her hands, waiting for a response from Isaac. "Cass." he said, breaking the silence and snapping her out of her reverie.

"Yea?"

"Are you sure...that you saw everything that you just told me? You weren't hallucinating from the poison, and it wasn't a dream? You're totally sure?" His voice was gentle but demanding.

"Isaac, you got to bel..."

"That's not what I asked, Cassy."

She looked him straight in the eyes, "Isaac, I know I saw this. I wouldn't have told you about it if I wasn't 100% sure." Her breath hitched in anticipation. _Please, just believe me, Isaac!_

It was silent again for a while.

"Ok." he said, his face expressionless as he looked back at her.

"Ok?"

"Ok. I'll go get your doctor, and when you're ready to be discharged, we'll go to Aiden." A familiar grin spread across his face, "I want to know how he did that magic wind thing. Bet it was awesome!"

Cassandra was all too happy to hug him again, tighter than last time. "Not so hard, my ribs still a little tender." He winced a little, but returned the hug all the same, "What, you thought I wouldn't believe you, tiny?"

"No, it's not that," she said, her grin slowly turning into a frown, "It's just...thanks. For staying here...with me. I know how much you hate hospitals."

His breath hitched, and she could feel his heartbeat a little faster than before and his muscles tense against her. She lowered her arms below his ribs and squeezed lightly, pressing her chin against his shoulder. He tilted his head to rest against hers, "Remember that promise we made, before we left Kakar?"

"Mmm-hmm," she hummed, content in his embrace.

"Then don't thank me for staying. You know I don't break promises." They loosened the hug, but still kept close to one another. When one was sad, or hurting, or remembering, the other would be there to make each other alright again. Even before they left their home town of Kakar, our two hunters have been like family. When Isaac's mom grew sick, Cassandra was there, and when Cassandra's family grew rich and payed little to no attention to her, Isaac was jumping over the wall to play. That's how it's worked for as long as they could remember. When they left that life behind, they made a promise. "No matter what, no one's going to be alone." Even when Isaac went to Harth for his lessons, they made sure to keep in touch in any way they could. As long as they had each other, they were never really alone.

"Ok, kiddo, let's get outta here to go see the magical lizard man!" Isaac exclaimed enthusiastically, inciting a giggle from the other hunter. As he stood up, he took a whiff of the air around them, and his nose scrunched up to his face. "First, though," he said, sniffing the air by her head, "you really need a shower."

She sniffed the air too, around herself and then around him. "Aw man, so do you!" she exclaimed, playfully gagging at the scent as they both giggled.

"You're such an idiot, dude." Cassandra said bluntly as they approached the small, mud brick house in the outskirts of Val Habar.

"Just hear me out Cassy. Isaac Mechanos, Grand-master wizard! It really rolls off the tongue."

"Why would anyone teach _you_ magic? The first thing you'd do with it is abuse it!"

"If creating a self-sustaining fire tornado is abuse, then frankly this is not a world I want to live in."

"I really don't think you're taking anything that's happening seriously." She eyed the house a few meters in front of them. It was much more...simple than Cassandra was expecting. It was just bigger than a hunter's apartment, and the outside was unpainted, leaving a small brown dome of a cottage that gave off a very rustic and charming vibe.

"I happen to take magic very seriously, muggle."

"Is...is that...is that like, from something?"

"Don't worry about it." Isaac reached the door first, and grabbed the dragon ring shaped knocker, letting it fall 3 times against the door.

Cassandra heard shuffling behind the door, and what she thought was a weak snort. "You two can come in. The door is unlocked." said a familiar voice.

"How does he know it's us?" She whispered to Isaac as he pushed the door open.

"Maybe he doesn't get many visi...woah!" he exclaimed in surprise as a white blur flew out of the open doorway and tackled him to the ground.

"Isaac! Are you...is that a Poogie?" She asked, looking down at the little, chubby, snow-white mass wriggling and squealing on Isaac's stomach.

"Why does everything always hit me?" he asked, sitting up while the Poogie danced on his lap.

"Here, Blanco!" The Poogie turned it's attention to the door and took off running, snorting excitedly to it's master. "Excited, hm?" Aiden asked, picking the piglet up and into his arms. "Are you alright, Isaac?"

Cassandra grabbed the other hunters hand and pulled him up onto his feet, "You don't hoof to worry about me, man. I'm bacon my feet." he said with a sly grin, pointing two finger pistols at Aiden, who grinned in response.

"...That was terrible, dude." Cassandra looked Aiden up and down. He had his hair tied back into a ponytail, and he wore a flour splattered apron with the words "the other white meat" bordered with two angel wings sewed into the center of it, with Blanco wriggling around in his arms and oinking with delight. _Is this really the same guy from that night?,_ she thought as they entered the house. A wonderful scent was wafting from the kitchen to the left of the entrance, and as Cassandra looked around, she noticed that all the walls were painted with different colors and designs, as were the couch and chairs in the room in front of them.

"Nice place ya got here, White." Isaac said, taking in the scenery, "Very...colorful."

"Thank you, my friend. I enjoy a more...monochromatic view myself, but I let Lucy design the place when we moved in."

"Lucy?" Cassandra asked.

"My little sister. Well, my adopted little sister, but I treat her like my blood. I'd introduce you to her, But I believe that she's asleep right now."

"I didn't know you had a sister." _How could we not know? He's the most famous hunter in the world!_

"My master and I have done a pretty good job keeping her a secret, so that the media won't confront her while we're out hunting."

"Makes sense."

"Sorry about the mess," Aiden said, gesturing towards the kitchen as he led the two into what appeared to be the living room, "I was making pie and I didn't expect you two so soon."

Isaac let out a little chuckle, "Oh dude, this is nothing! You should see our place most of the time."

"Ah," Aiden said with a knowing look, "so you two live together?"

Cassandra felt her face turn its signature shade of embarrassment scarlet,"I-It's not l-l-like that! And, that's none of your business!"

"Speaking of business, my dear, I believe you have something of mine?" he asked, his look now more serious.

_Oh, right. The hat!_ She started to rummage through her hunter's bag. _Where is it?_

"I got it, pipsqueak." Isaac pulled the neatly folded hat out of his pouch and handed it to the other hunter, who dusted it off and placed it back on his head with a sincere grin, "So, you gotcha hat back. Now, what's going on, White?"

"Oh, right. I promised you answers, did I not?" he sighed as he set the Poogie down on the floor, "Cassandra." he said, looking her up and down critically.

"Y-yeah?" she felt his silver eyes burn into her, sending a chill up her spine.

"You look like a strong one. Hit me."

"What?!" the two hunters exclaimed, completely taken aback. _H-hit you?_

"As the old adage goes, "I won't believe it until I see it.", and even though I truly don't care whether or not you believe my story, I think this demonstration will add to the seriousness. Besides, I believe you told me that you were going to, and I quote, "kick my ass". Well, I would call this a golden opportunity."

Isaac got up from the couch the two were sitting on and stood between Aiden and Cassandra, "Look. As much as I'm cool with whatever weird fetishes you may have, I don't think this is neces..."

"I'll do it." she said, pushing past Isaac to stand in front of the white hunter.

"Cassy?" Isaac asked with a look of confusion, while the shorter hunter turned towards him and gave him a look that said "I got this."

"Splendid! Now then, my dear, don't hold off on me. Give me your best shot." he grinned, his eyes full of mirth. It reminded her of the Nargacuga's look, a hunter toying with it's prey, and she felt a familiar rush of hot anger flow through her.

"Don't worry." she spat as she reeled back her arm, feeling her muscles tense and contract, "I will." She sent her fist flying, and it slammed with a loud slap against his cheek. Even Isaac winced at the sound.

_...He didn't even budge an inch!_ She slowly pulled her hand back to her side, revealing a patch of white shiny scales on his cheek where she had struck. "...You're really not human, are you?"

He tilted his head slightly to the side and grinned wide, showing off a set of impossibly sharp looking canines. He chuckled softly, fangs still exposed, chilling the air and sending lightning bolts of fear through both hunters. "Not quite, my dear." His eyes glowed with a light of their own, freezing Cassandra to the spot like a Kelbi in headlights.

His grin lowered slightly, "But you, Cassandra. You are also an odd case, hm?"

"What?" she asked weakly as he took a step towards her.

"Do you really think a normal human could put that much force into a punch?" he put a hand to his jaw and rubbed it slightly, "Any normal person would have at least broken their jaw from that. In fact, that probably would have killed them."

"Well, t-that's..."

"Look at your hand, Cassandra." he darted his hand to her wrist and pulled it up to the light before she could resist his grip, "It did not even bruise the knuckles. Like a living hammer." She ripped her hand away from his grip and took a step back. _What the fuck is happening? I've always just been strong...right?_ She thought back through her life. Scenes, things she had committed to memory but never thought back to, came to her in rapid succession. "Cassandra, ladies don't fight!", "How could you hurt your own mother?!", "I can beat anyone at arm wrestling!", "How can you lift such a big hammer?", "You can't be that strong!", "Wow, you're so strong!", "So strong!", "Strong". _Strong._ The reality of it all hit her like a punch in the gut.

"Still don't believe it? Then what about the roar you used against the Nargacuga?"

"Huh?" _What roar? What's he talking about?_

"When that monster was about to pounce, I heard it. A scream with the power to stop death. That your first roar, was it not?"

_Before it pounced..._ She remembered her words, screamed in pure anger and opposition. His grin turned maniacal and his eyes crazy with mirth. "Don't you see? You're as much of a monster as I am!"

Isaac took a step between the two, a stern look on his face. "Aiden, that's eno...". Before he had a chance to retaliate, Aiden grabbed his right hand and held it up like he did Cassandra's.

"How did you get this scar, Isaac?" he asked, gesturing toward the thin neat scar running across Isaacs open palm.

He pulled his hand away with a look of anger, "What the fuck is it to you?"

"Do you not know? Because I do." he turned to look Isaac in the eyes, that wild look returning to his face, "When that Nargacuga shot it's spike at you. You caught it, didn't you?"

Isaac seemed taken aback by this, "What do you mean? That spike must've been going..."

"As fast as a bullet from a rifle. In barely a foot of visibility, you with unaided eyes somehow saw a spike traveling at twice the speed of sound coming at you, and you reacted in that small shred of time, and tried to catch it. You didn't have the strength to stop it, though, so it still struck your chest. That's besides the point, however. Strength is not your power, correct? No, you have eyes like living sniper scopes, and reflexes faster than a bullet."

There was silence throughout the small abode for a moment. "...So, what? Are we not human or something? Is that what you're trying to say?" Cassandra spoke up from her stupor. She was deep in thought, trying to comprehend her lack of normalcy.

"I never said you weren't human, my dear. I'm merely saying that you are not quite human, like me, yet not."

"Cuz none of that is confusing." Isaac said sarcastically, slumping back onto the couch, "Welp, White, this is officially the longest game of "What am I" I have ever played." he chuckled nervously at his joke while running a hand through his hair, "If...If we're not quite human, then there must be some in us that makes us more, right?"

"You wouldn't believe how correct you are, my friend." Aiden turned away from the two hunters and walked over to a drawer, opening it slowly, "Tell me, what do you know of the history of our world?"

"History?" Cassandra asked, confused by the seemingly random question, "W-well, most of the world's history past the creation of Kokoto Village was only recorded through stories. The rest was written down in books that are restricted for civilians to read."

"Have you ever wondered why that is?" he asked, reaching into the drawer and removing a small, black book.

"Let me guess," Isaac said, leaning forward on the couch, "The information is too dangerous for the public? I've always assumed that was the case anyway."

Aidan pulled up a chair and sat in front of the two, holding up the book for them to see. The book looked to be bound in a grey tanned leather, with the guild symbol in crimson emblazoned on the front. "If you wish to speak about dangerous, I can say this without a shred of doubt. This," he gestured at the book, a look of absolute seriousness on his face, "Is the most dangerous book on the planet." Seeing the looks of confusion and wonder on his fellow hunters' faces, he continued, "This book, the God Killer's guide, not only tells the stories of the first era and the god hunters, it also discloses the locations of the last libraries of man. It contains all of the guild's best kept secrets."

"Why show it to us then?" Cassandra asked, trying to take in this flood of information.

"Who could you tell that would believe you, without seeing what I have shown you?"

"Got a point there," Isaac said, "What do you mean by "first era"?"

"The first era was the time of man's downfall, before there were elder dragons, and long before there were monsters."

"Before monsters?"

"Allow me," Aiden started, opening the book in front of him, "to read to you the story of the rise and fall of the first era."

He took a deep breath, and began the tale slowly.

_Long ago, when the world was still young, the first being, Nature, came into existence. With no body of it's own, it had to choose a vessel from the trillions of potential planets throughout the universe. After a millennia of searching, Nature came across a planet that caught it's attention. It wasn't too big, it wasn't too small. It was warmed by it's star, yet cooled by shadow. It had water, and air. It had fire and magma, yet there was earth to stand upon. Nature had finally found a vessel it deemed worthy. For the first time in the history of it's existence, it knew happiness. Nature's happiness spread throughout the planet, giving birth to life itself. This happiness lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, though at times this happiness had its lulls, such as during the 5 great extinctions._

_Of all of life's creations, Nature loved humans the most. They were the most intelligent and promising creatures, beings Nature could relate to. Nature loved humanity like it was it's children, and humanity, in the beginning, loved Nature like a parent. It took from Nature only what it needed, and gave back more than it took. But eventually, humanity forgot about Nature, and cared only for itself. Humans began to take more than they needed, and give nothing back in return. Like a parent with a spoiled child, Nature allowed humanity to do what it pleased. And humanity took every opportunity to do just that. Humans formed great civilizations and religions, and divide the world amongst themselves, leaving little room for other of life's many forms. They formed the earth to their liking, and twisted the elements of Nature to suit their needs. They bottled lightning to light up the night, they boiled water to make steam to power great machines, they drilled into earth in search for liquid fire. Nature grew to resent humans for their transgressions, yet it's love overpowered it's hate. It bottled it's anger inside, careful not to let it spread into the planet. It's anger at humanity grew and grew, and the humans took more and more, killing and drilling and burning and..._

_Finally, Nature couldn't keep it's anger bottled any longer. The last killing invention of man, the pure fusion bomb, destroyed the last of Nature's hope for humanity. It let it's unfathomable anger flow into the earth, as it had it's happiness. As it's happiness gave birth to life, it's anger gave birth to the elder dragons. These beings, born of hatred and anger, possessed an intelligence unlike any ever seen before. A hive mind focused on destroying man and it's evil technology. They used the powers of nature to scorch humanity's crops, poison their water, and grind their cities to dust. They took the animals of the world and infused them with their blood, giving birth to the mutant creatures we now call monsters. Man, with all of it's tools for killing, were no match for this new threat. It seemed as though humanity, like other great species before it, would too go extinct._

_Nature, having released itself of it's great anger, felt only guilt for putting its favorite children to death. So, Nature came to the last of the humans in the form of a man and revealed to them a way to defeat the monsters. The monsters and the elder dragons, Nature said, were born of me, as all of you were. So, by taking the blood and armor from these creature, you could obtain my divine powers and become the hunters of those who hunt you. So, the last of humanity's scientists came together and, with the help of nature, obtained the dead bodies of several different species of monster. Using the technology they had available, these great minds successfully synthesised a breed of human, born of the blood of gods and cloaked in the scales of devils, that could fight back against the monsters, the monster hunters. With their great powers, they thinned the armies of the elder dragons and paved the way for the second era of man, an era that would never forget the kindness of Nature._

"If all of that is true," Isaac interrupted, causing Aiden to look up from the God Killer's guide, "Then where did the Troverians and Wyverians come from?"

"They were...accidents. From the first hunter experiments. Some of the blood was tainted with venom or other impurities, which caused unwanted mutations in the gene pool. Nature wanted humans to respect all life, no matter where it came from, so early man nurtured these mutants to grow and become what they are today."

"Damn, that story answers a lot, doesn't it?" Isaac asked, trying to find anyway not to believe what he's heard.

"Not everything, though." Cassandra spoke up at last, looking up from her hands, "You said what we are. People with monster blood and all that. What makes you different from us, though?"

"That," Aiden said, turning deeper into the book, "Is another story entirely. Shall I continue?" The other hunters nodded and with a deep breath, he began anew.

_The elder dragons, knowing they were no match for the humans now that Nature guided them, came up with a new plan. The only way to get to the humans was through Nature, so they would have to kill Nature itself. They receded far away from the humans, giving them a false sense of security, as they worked on their plan to destroy Nature. They experimented, mutating flesh and bone, blood and bile. They toiled to create the perfect living weapon. Then, finally, two eggs were made, each containing the perfect mix of the 2 sects of elder dragon, white and black. The black egg grew into the great black dragon, the Gore Hai-Han, or Devil King, and the white egg became the great white dragon, the Shagaru Hai-Han, or God King. These dragons were engineered to be virtually indestructible, each with the ability to destroy the entire world, and reshape it as they seem fit. They were unleashed at once, in an event known as the Hallowed Eclipse. The Shagaru Hai-Han covered the sun, and Gore Hai-Han, the moon, and once again humanity had to hide from something more than it could handle._

_And again, they had to turn to their creator for guidance. Only blood and scale, Nature decreed, will lead your people to freedom. So, I shall lead you to the blood you seek. But, Nature warned, the children born of the blood of the two kings will bear the burden that power always brings. If they are allowed to abuse their power, it will consume them. They will be no better than the beasts that they were sent to kill. With this warning behind them, the humans, led by Nature, tracked the kings to a cave where they were nesting, and waited. Nature tricked the two into fighting each other, and after the scuffle, the humans were able to obtain a vial of blood and a scale from each dragon. From there, they were able to produce two living embryos containing the blood of the two kings. The embryos were raised as great warriors, with powers greater than anything humanity had ever seen. When they reached manhood, they each received weapons made from the scales of the monsters that birthed them. But, they found that their weapons were incomplete. They simply weren't strong enough to face the kings, let alone handle the powers of their wielders. The weapons must be completed as their fathers were, Nature advised, they must drink the blood that gave the kings their power. So, the two hunters, white and black, set out to defeat the elder dragons, and then the kings._

_However, they found that even with their great power, they were no match for the gods alone. They needed help from other hunters. However, normal hunters didn't have the power to help. So, with help from Nature, the humans created the Awakening, a process that can heighten the monster blood content of a normal hunter, creating a new breed of monster hunter. Warriors fit to kill gods. The first to volunteer for the Awakening were friends of the black and white hunters, ready to give up their lives to save humanity and their friends. So, using the swords Godslayer and Devilslayer, and with the help of the God hunters, the black and white hunters quenched the thirst of their blades, gained the great powers of nature, and fought the kings. It was a great battle, but in the end, the hunters defeated the dragons. But, they could not die. Instead, they turned to stone until they regained strength. As for the black and white hunter, only the black hunter survived the fight. Now, the kings sleep, waiting for the time when their powers are ready._

"So then...you must be..." Cassandra started after a long stretch of silence.

"The white hunter, the third one in fact. My master was...is the third black hunter."

"That technique I saw you do with your sword, with the wind. That was a power of Nature, right?"

"Oe Khai. Scale rot. The first power of Godslayer. I received it after hunting the first strain Kushala Daora."

"All you have to do is kill a few elder dragons to get all the powers, right? That doesn't sound too hard, I've hunted a few lesser elder dragons on my own before." Isaac observed, sitting up straighter on the couch.

"The elder dragons that the guild allows normal hunters to fight are just the infants of the ones I need. Their blood isn't pure enough until their parents die, as are the conditions of God hunting. The elder dragons I am searching for are at least several hundred years old."

"That's what first strain means, right?"

"Right. The first strain are the direct descendants of the first elder dragons. Their blood is what will give my weapon it's power."

"Why would the guild want to hide this information? Shouldn't this be important info for hunters to know when they set out?"

"In the past, the guild has tried to reveal this information to the public twice. The first time as during the first years of Dundorma. Do you know what they did with this information?" After both hunters shook their heads, he continued with downcast eyes, "They built a great wall surrounding their city, and then had everyone with monster blood, man woman and child, publically executed."

"What?! Why?" Isaac exclaimed, taken aback.

"They wanted only pure humans in their society, to completely wipe out all traces of monster in the bloodline. The great wall was meant to protect their city from the monsters that remained, but it led to their destruction. Without the presence of a hunter, the monsters were no longer afraid to attack the city at will. That was the first mass killing after the first fall of the kings. It was named the Dundorma massacre."

"What about the second time they revealed the information?"

"That was to an old city similar to Dundorma, named Shirak. With the information found within the guide, they resurrected the healing technology of the first era. They had machines that could find and cure diseases, synthesize vaccines, and help the disabled regain their lost senses. Shirak gained the title "the city of life". The people didn't realize, however, that the monsters, since they were born of a hatred of technology, were attracted to any source of advancing technology. They had no chance of surviving the wave of beasts that came. The town was abandoned, and renamed "the city of death". On its ruins, the village of Kakar was constructed, to hide the secrets of healing from the world."

"Wait, Kakar? We're from there!" Cassandra revealed excitedly, looking over to Isaac. Her excitement died down quickly when she saw the dark look that Isaac had, "Isaac?"

"That blueprint I found...it was real, wasn't it?" he said at almost a whisper, shaking a little at his own words, "I gave up, so easily..."

"What are you talking about, dude?"

"When I was a kid, when your dad put up the wall, Cassy, I was playing by myself near the woods. I was running, and I tripped over something shiny. It was a safe, a weird looking one with a pad and rubbery buttons on the side. I guessed it was old, because when I tried to open the door, it popped open without any effort. Inside, I found a bag with blueprints in it, for a machine called an MRI. That's where the electromagnetic resonator came from, Cass."

"Why'd you want to build one in the first place?"

"The blueprints also came with a booklet. It said that the machine could see inside skulls and diagnose people. If I made one, I thought that the doctors could finally figure out what's wrong with my mom."

"That's not wrong, Isaac." Aiden spoke up, causing the other hunters to turn their gaze to the white hunter, "The first era had many cures and medical machines. If a machine like the MRI were to be made, I'm sure it would be able help someone with a brain problem."

"I-Isaac, I'm so sorry! I had no idea that thing was supposed to help your mom! I wouldn't have had Fang..."

"I told you not to worry about it, didn't I? I built it wrong anyway, it's not supposed to react to iron like that. I just didn't kn..." Suddenly, Isaac's face lit up, and he jumped up from the couch to face Aiden, "Hey, White! Are there any more of those guides out there?"

For the first time since she had met him, Aiden's face took on a look of confusion, "W-Well, yes. The guild has several copies of the God Killers guide. They don't just give it out to anyone, though."

"What do I have to do to get the book?"

"Isaac, what..."

"The guild only issues the guide to hunters that have undergone the Awakening."

Isaac slapped his hands together in excitement and his eyes took on that glint of determination that Cassandra knew well on him. "Great! It's a deal, then!"

"Huh?" Cassandra and Aiden asked in unison, equally confused.

"You're gonna get me awakened." Isaac said matter-of-factly.

"Y-you can't be serious!" Aiden exclaimed, getting up from his own seat, "Do you have any idea what that does to you?"

"Don't care, want the book," he announced with a grin, "Besides, you said that the first white hunter guy had friends to help him, right? If you help me get the book, I'll help you fight those dragons you've been going on about. Simple!"

"You can't be that stupid, Isaac! What if you die, or what if it changes you too much?!" Cassandra asked hysterically.

Yet Isaac's face still held it's determined expression. "Whether I die then or later, if Aiden can't do it alone, we're all dead anyway. If I get that book, I could find those libraries from the first era, right? I could find books on how their machines work. I could save my mom!"

"What if your mother no longer recognizes you when you save her?" Aiden asked with a stern tone.

"My mother sees me now as a five year old boy who's dead dad is working on a treehouse in the backyard. As long as she's healthy, I don't care who she thinks I am."

"And what if I don't need your help?"

"I know for a fact you do." Aiden raised his brow to this, so he continued, "According to the Hunters Herald, you've been inactive for 5 months, right? You said you had to fight that Kushala Daora earlier. I think you've been doing nothing for 5 months because you got hurt from the fight, and couldn't move around too much. Am I right?"

"...Quite perceptive, you are. Yes, I was injured. But, what makes you think I want your help?" Aiden asked with a drop of venom in his words. Before Isaac could answer however, a scream shook the house at it's core, and Aiden's face took on that of horror, "Lucy!"

Before the others could react, he had already sprinted down the corridor into a small room where the origin of the scream resided. Seeing the distress on his face, the two followed Aiden to the room. When they arrived, they saw Aiden sitting on a small bed holding what appeared to be a crying girl. She looked about as tall as Cassandra, but much paler and thinner. She had long, dirty blonde hair that flowed down her back like a sheet, with a few strands plastered on her face from her tears. She wore a white dressing gown stained with dots of dark water spots.

"Lucy, it's ok. I'm right here." Aiden whispered, stroking the back of her head as she sobbed into his chest.

"I-I saw...I saw it again, Aiden! You...you died again!" she cried, choking back her sobs.

"I'm ok, my dear. It's not real, I promise."

"Let them help, Aiden, please let them."

"Let who help?"

She turned away from him, and pointed to Isaac and Cassandra, "Let them help, Aiden."

"You don't even know..."

"I know they're good people Aiden! I don't...you can't do it alone! You can't...you can't die, Aiden!"

"I won't, Lucy. I promise." the sobbing died down, and he slowly lowered the girl back onto her pillow.

"Please don't go alone." she said weakly as he pulled the covers back up to her chin.

"I promise I won't," he bent down and kissed her forehead as her eyes began to waver.

"Please..." she whispered as she drifted back into sleep. Aiden got up and walked to the other hunters, who were standing at the doorway.

"...Fine." Aiden said with a sigh.

"Fine?"

"Yes, yes, fine! I'll get you awakened!"

A burst of happiness spread across Isaac's face as he grabbed Aiden by the shoulders, "You won't regret this, I promise!"

"I had better not," he turned to look back at the sleeping girl, "For her sake..."

Finally, Cassandra, who had been deep in thought for the time, spoke up, "Aiden. If he's going to change, I want to do it too!"

"Cassy?! You don't..."

"Isaac, your mom is basically the only mom I have. I want to help her as much as you do." she said, adamant with her decision. "Besides," she said with a grin, "who's gonna stop you from making self sustaining fire tornadoes if I'm not there?". Isaac grinned in return, and they both turned back to the white hunter.

"A friend of mine is coming within the week to discuss my plans. She will be the one awakening you both," he looked down at a small pad of paper and then back at the two hunters. "In the meantime, I suggest you go see your loved ones before the procedure. Only tell them that you will be going through some changes and nothing else, understood?"

"Right!" the friends said in unison, walking towards the front door.

"Be seeing you," Isaac said as they exited the abode, "Partner!"

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Aiden thought to himself as he took his pie off the windowsill where it was cooling.

**Update: Just made a blog on tumblr for this series!** **blackandwhitehunter on tumblr!** **If you want to ask me a question about the series, gets some sneak peeks on upcoming chapters, or maybe see and/or show off some fan art of the series, come check it out!**


	6. Meetings

“Remember that...” Cassandra started, attempting to stifle a laugh, “Remember that time you tried to distract that Jaggi (snort), that Great Jaggi, so you went up behind it...”

            “Oh my god...I never thought...I never thought something so perfect would happen,” wheezed Isaac, leaning back on his chair, away from his work. Cassandra was sitting against the backboard of his bed, while he sat at his desk, working on his latest contraption. They had been hanging out for a few hours, just talking and laughing, before Isaac had to leave for Cathar.

            “It freaking jumped up so high (snort), and it kicked you so hard.”

            “I’ve never heard a monster scream like that in my entire life. Like a little girl!”

            “It launched forward like a bullet, dude. Oh my god...”

            “I call that the perfect distraction. Scare the shit outta it until it headbutts a stone wall!”

            “It's not just that...before it hit you were like...”

            “This will take...” they said in unison, holding back giggles as they turned towards each other, “Perfect execution...Boom!” Laughter filled the room as the two friends let loose their wheezing, choking giggles. Cassandra pushed a lock of pitch black hair off of her face, resting her head against the backboard as she tried to catch her breath.

            “Hey Cassy,” Isaac asked after the laughter had died down, wiping a tear from his eye, “What time is it?”

            “It’s uh, it’s 5:24.”

            “Welp, I’d better start heading out.”, he said with a sigh, getting up from his chair to riffle through the pile of junk on his bed, looking for something, “Have you seen my...”

“It’s in the drawer in the living room.” Cassandra answered, pointing him towards his hospital card, “Isaac, before you go...”

“What’s up?” he asked, pulling on his Slagtoth leather jacket.

“The story that Aiden told us, and the ritual...I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.” she asked, seriousness eating away the happiness that was on her face only moments earlier, “You seemed so ready to accept it all, and I just don’t know. What if it's all a lie?”

“Well, to be honest, Cass, I really don’t care if it's all true.” He walked back into the room, putting a bag on his bed, “All I know is that what I want is real, and in that book. The way I see it, if it's real, I get to become a superhero and save the world, and my mom. If it’s fake, I get a butt ton of drugs and people dancing around me, and then I get to save my mom. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

“Why does everything sound so simple when you explain it?” she asked, giggling a little at his answer.

“Cuz I’m a genius.”

“Hey genius,” she pointed then at his lower half, “Your pants are on backwards.”

“Really?” he looked down and realized that he had, in fact, put his jeans on the wrong way.

“How do you even do that?”

“Shut up! It happens!” he answered with a blush, rushing into the closet to fix his mistake, “By the way, you just let me know you were looking at my ass, ya perv!”

She could feel the blood and heat rush across her cheeks as Isaac stepped out of the closet, pants now successfully righted.

“Hey, cherry-cheeks?” he asked walking past the blushing girl to his bed, “What I said earlier...you can come if you want to see her. It’s just...I know she’s like a mom to you, but...”

“Nah, I’m ok, kid,” she said softly, her blush fading, “I get that you want to be alone for this. I’ll break the news to the guys at the hall while you're gone. Maybe I’ll go see Aiden, too, before his friend gets here.”

“Not gonna see your parents?”

She felt a little wave of cold wash through her spine, and she sighed. “Couldn’t care less whether they know what’s going on or not. Besides, my dad’ll know I’m different right away.”

“He still sending guys to check on you?” Isaac asked, his voice quiet to mask his anger, “When did it start...”

“Isaac, as long as he has money, he’ll always be watching me. Honestly, I don’t care if he is anymore. I’m done with that part of my life.”

“You sure you’re okay?” She could feel the concern in his voice, how much he cared, and she could feel a blush return to her face. Nevertheless, she turned to look at him with the most genuine smile she could muster.

“Never been better.” she said, closing her eyes for added effect, “Now go! Before you miss your ship.” Unbeknownst to her, his own face flushed, and he quickly turned away from her to hide it.

“O-ok, kiddo. I’ll be off then.” Isaac said, exiting out of their apartment, before darting his head back through the door with a grin and a finger pistol, “I hope you’ll Cathar-y on without me!”

“Out. Now.” she ordered in mock anger, glaring at the chuckling hunter as he closed the door behind him. She let out a sigh, and let her face fall into her hands. _Why am I still blushing?_ she thought, feeling the heat of her face against her palms.

* * *

“Hey, Holly!” Isaac exclaimed as he walked into the small hospital, it's fabric door fluttering close behind him. The elderly Wyverian woman he was addressing looked up from her book and gave him a smile, her glasses sliding on her wrinkled nose.

“Isaac, dear! You know, most people address their elders by their titles, young man.”

“Well, most people don’t know their elders like I know you.”

She sighed and got up from her chair to face the hunter, “Quite right, my dear. Let me see you now, my boy.” She stood before him and began to poke and prod at his stomach and face, pulling him down with her cane as he was much taller than her. “So thin! Have you been eating all your meals? All that hunting and not a shred of muscle. You need to eat more protein my boy or you’ll never grow those chopsticks you call arms! What about that girl? Have you been taking care of each other?”

“Holly, quit it! I’ve eaten and I’m fine, I can take care of myself!” he complained, trying to escape her iron grip. Suddenly, she pulled even harder on her cane, bringing him face to face with her icy stare, which sent a wave of fear pulsing through him.

“You better have been treating that girl you brought with you right, boy, or you have me to answer to.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.” he gulped. She seemed pleased with his response, as she unhooked her cane from his neck and turned her back to him, walking down a hallway on the opposite wall. He followed behind, even though he already knew where they were going and how to get there.

“So, my boy, I assume you’re here to see your mother again, yes? Why so soon? I heard you were here the other day.”

“I... I was, but something just came up, and I wanted to see her again.”

“Something?” she inquired, looking back at the hunter with an inquisitive gaze.

“I wanted to talk to you about it too, Holly. I... I may not be back. For a while.” he started, his heart heavy in his chest, “And when I do come back, I may not be the same person. It’s just so hard to explain right now. You’ve always been there for me, Holly, and you’ve always trusted me through everything. When I left with Cassy, when I got my license, our apartment, everything. What I plan on doing might save my mom, Holly. I’ve gotta try. If I don’t, then I’ll regret not doing anything while she’s...Holly, just trust...”

“Isaac, my dear.” she stopped him, turning around with the first grin she’s shown that day, “I may not understand the details of what you have to go through, but the details are never all that important, anyway. I’ve always told you to follow your heart, and let that big brain of yours work out the rest, haven’t I? Besides, it’s not like a little old lady like me could stop you from doing whatever you set out to do. You're as stubborn as a Duramboros, you and your mother.”

A look of confusion crossed his face for a second, then a wide grin took its place as they reached the room. “...Thank you, Holly.”

“Speaking of your mother, I’ll go in and check if she’s woken up yet. Take a seat.” she gestured to the seats against the wall opposite four identical doors with symbols written in metal. Sitting on one was a little Wyverian boy, no older than 8 years old. Isaac took a seat a few away from the kid as Holly entered one of the rooms.

“You know the old lady?” the little boy asked, his voice filled with wonder.

“Uh, yeah. She took care of me for a bit, when my mom got sick.” Isaac replied, caught off guard by the child.

“...My mommy’s sick, too.” the boy said, tears starting to fill his eyes.

 _Oh shit, I made a baby cry! What do I do?_ He thought frantically, trying to find any way out of the current situation.

“Hey kid? What’s your name?” he asked.

“I-it's Mano.”

“Well, Mano.” Isaac started, remembering something from his own childhood, “you know what I do when I’m sad?”

“What?” the little boy asked, his chubby tear stained cheeks jiggling slightly as he looked up at the hunter.

A big, goofy grin spread across Isaac’s face. “Well, I smile!”

“Huh?”

“If you’re sad and you smile, I promise, you won’t be so sad anymore.” Mano looked away from Isaac for a second, his lips twitching a little attempting to smile but failing.

“Need a little help? What do you call a little pig that needs to go to the bathroom?”

“What?”

Isaac shrugged with a slight grin, winking his leftmost eye at the little boy as he answered, “A Poo-gie.” Laughter escaped Mano’s lips at the joke, and as Isaac looked down towards him, a thin smile crossed his own face. “See, not all that tough, is it?”

Suddenly, one of the doors across from them opened up with a creek, and out stepped Holly, holding the clipboard for the patient within. “Isaac, she’s ready to see you now.” she said, walking towards the two.

He sighed, anxiety pounding lightly against his ribcage as he stood and said, “Ok.”

Holly walked over to Mano and, in a venom laced voice, said, “So, I thought I heard someone out here calling me “old”. You wouldn’t happen to know who that was, would you, boy?”

“N-N-No, ma’am.” he answered in a shaky voice.

“Good. Come now, I’ll take you to the cafeteria.” she said sweetly, holding her hand out to the child.

“Ok.” he said, hopping off the chair and taking Holly’s hand. Before they began walking, he turned his head to Isaac, and with a little hand raised and waving, said, “Goodbye, mister!”

“Name’s Isaac, kid, and I’ll see you around.” he replied as he walked into his mother’s room.

The first thing he always notices when he visits is her eyes. People have always told him that he has his mother’s eyes, but that was before. Her chocolate brown eyes were always so full of life before. Now, only a glimmer of his brightness remains in her nearly vacant gaze. Her face, though slightly wrinkled, held a graceful beauty, like slowly wilting flower. As Isaac entered the small hospital room, she looked up to face him, her vividly red hair shuffling dryly on the pillow, her dim eyes regaining a little of the twinkle of happiness that his own held.

“Ah, there’s my little man! Whats going on, kiddo?” she said excitedly. He couldn’t help but notice how her voice faltered inconsistently, how she slurred some and spoke others perfectly. He always noticed, but now more so than ever.

“I’m ok, ma. How have you been?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice from shaking as he took a seat next to her bed.

“I’ll be ok. I was going to start dinner but...”, she stopped, staring blankly forward. Suddenly, like nothing happened, she turned back with the same smile, “Hey, kiddo! Weren’t you out playing with your friend in the yard?”

How badly he wanted to correct her, to make her see the world as it is. He knew that it was hopeless, but his hope still screamed at him to try anyway. Yet, he simply sighed, and said, “Mom, can I talk to you for a second?”

“What's wrong, sweetie? Those kids still picking on you?”

“No, mom, it’s...I know you’ve been sick lately, ma, and I know you think it's all right, but...” He bit his lip, trying to think of what he should say next. _Why do I even bother? She won’t remember this anyway._ But, then, he looked up, and saw the excitement to hear his every word that was always on her face when he came to visit, and he couldn’t help but continue. “I think I’ve found a way to make you better. I may not see you for a while, mom, and I wanted to...say goodbye, just in case I...”. He wrung his hands together, looking down at his lap as his heart weighed heavily in his chest. He looked up at his mother, his voice faltering as he said, “I know this will be hard, but could you... not forget me, Mom? I need you to remember me, cuz I might not be...me, when this is over.”

Suddenly, he felt a frail hand over his cheek, and as he looked up from his stupor, he saw his mother looking back with a look of concern, the first he’d seen in maybe years. “Sounds like you're aiming for something big, kiddo.”, she said, cupping his cheeks with a slight squeeze, “Just don’t forget to smile, ‘kay?”

He gasped softly and leaned away from her grasp, visibly shaken. _She hasn’t said that since her first seizure!_ he thought, feeling his eyes well up with tears. He forced his lips into a grin, and as the tears fell, he wrapped his arms carefully around her and leaned into an embrace.

“You’re still there, Mom,” he whispered with a wavering smile, “I know you’re still there.”

He left the hug after a bit, wiping his eye and sniffing louder than he wanted to. When he could see unimpeded, he noticed that his mother's eyes had that waxy emptiness that he had come to dread. It meant she forgot. How he hoped she didn’t forget everything.

“Honey, go call your father down for dinner,” she asked, her attention returning to her son, “I would but I think I’m a little sick...why don’t my legs work?”

 _Oh god not again!_ “Mom...”

“Where am I? Why can’t I move?!” She was visibly shaken, eyes wide with terror as she struggled on the bed.

Isaac quickly grabbed her shoulders firmly, causing her to look up from her stupor at her son. “Mom, don’t you remember?”, he said calmly, going over the same story he always tells her when she gets like this, “You fell and hit your head. You kept kicking around in your sleep so the doctors had to restrain your legs. It’s ok, mom.”

“Oh...oh.” she said faintly, leaning slowly back onto her pillow.

“I’ll go get Holly, alright?”

“Ok, kiddo.”

He went to leave, and before he passed the door, he whispered a quick “I love you,” and left for the front desk.

“My boy...” Holly said in a concerned voice, noticing the dried tears on his face.

“Make sure she’s ok when I get back, Holly,” he said, eyes burning with determination. Then, his signature grin spread across face as he said, “I’m counting on ya, old lady.”

If anyone else had said that to her face, she would have made a head shaped hole in the wall with their name on it. Instead, she simply returned the grin, and said “Don’t you worry about me, boy. I maybe old, but I’m still the best at what I do.”

He sighed and, with a sad smile, turned to the exit. “Not gonna stay the night? You know you’re always welcome.” Holly said.

“Maybe next time, I still have to head over to Harth. Maybe Chief can postpone my lessons for a bit.”

“Oh my god!”, a shrill voice shouted excitedly from outside the door of the hospital. Suddenly, the glass door swung open revealing a teenage wyverian girl, holding a piece of paper in her hand, “You’re the “Suicide Sniper”, right?”

“That's the name the Guild sui-decided would be a good fit for me.”

A nervous laugh escaped her lips as she gushed, “Oh my god, you’re so funny! I’ve been a fan of yours since forever! Could you sign this poster?”

She handed him the paper and a Qurupeco feather quill, “Be happy to. Who do I make this out...” he started happily, until he realized what the poster said.

_Friday night at the Dundorma arena, come witness Val Habar’s very own Suicide Sniper, Isaac Mechanos, and Dancing Queen, Cassandra Everly, as they go toe to toe with some of the fiercest beasts in the world!_

“Um, excuse me? Could you make that out to Kailey, please?”

He snapped out of his stupor at her words and quickly wrote down his usual autograph. “Sorry about that.” he said hurriedly, quickly handing back the poster. _I didn’t sign up for an arena match, and Cassy didn’t either. That asshole White has to be behind this! Screw Harth, when I get back..._

“Hey, where are you going? Some of my friends are waiting for me down the way, and I’m sure they’d love to...”

“Sorry, kiddo, but I’ve got a gun that needs to be lodged in someone’s rectum. See ya at the fight, though.” he winked, quickly rushing past the girl towards his airship.

“What a weirdo.”

“You’re telling me.” Holly said in a bored tone, looking down at the book in her lap.

* * *

 _That went a lot better than expected_ Cassandra thought as she walked towards the familiar house. She had just finished talking to all their friends at the guild, and to her surprise, nobody got hurt. Everyone at the guild went nuts for the two hunters, since they were like the little siblings of the Val Habar family. Many of the older hunters asked questions, but just about everyone wished them the best with whatever is going on. Almost everyone. Micah had to basically sit on his idiot brother to stop his flailing and blubbering.

Instead of thinking about how those two could possibly be related, she walked up to the door and tapped it with the knocker a couple times. _Shit, what am I gonna say to him? Why didn’t I think about this earlier? Damn you, procrastination!_ She thought, her stomach doing flips as the door opened.

“Oh, uh, hello, Cassandra! Brother told me a lot about you.” Lucy exclaimed happily.

“Hey, Lucy. Nice to formally meet you.” Cassandra said in a gentle tone, relieved that she got to avoid an awkward social situation. “Is your brother home?”

“No, not today. He said he had something to do in Dundorma, so he won’t be back till late tonight.”

“Dundorma, huh? Well, I’ll just meet him halfway. Thanks, Lucy.” the hunter said, turning to leave.

“Wait, Cassandra. Before you go.”

“What’s up?”

“Cassandra, I know my brother can be a little...cold to others, and I know he can be rude and impatient and... I know he’s a good person. He’s actually really sweet and considerate if you get to know him. And, I know you and Isaac are good people, too. Just please, don’t give up on him. All I ask is that you keep him safe, because I know he’s gonna get himself...” she rambled, tears filling her eyes.

Cassandra sighed and placed her hands on the child’s shoulder, saying “Hey, don’t worry. I’m a professional when it comes to keeping idiots alive. I’ll do my best, ‘kay?”

“...ok.”

“Good. I’ll go get Aiden, and we can talk some more.” _She’s just like me a long time ago_ Cassandra thought as she left the girl at the door, heading off to the big walled city. _What’s he up to?_

* * *

__

“Prisoner 661, you have a visitor.” the heavily armored guard barked in a gruff voice, standing at the door of the man’s cell. The man had been laying on his bed staring at the ceiling, not thinking about anything, really. Except for why he was here. He only thought about snippets of the details at a time. How that red headed fuck held him against a wall. How that bitch in the armor condemned him like it was his fault that family got killed. He told them to stay in the caravan. Now, everything he had done, all that zenny...gone, puff. And face still freakin kills cause of that snow haired piece of...

“Hello, Mr. Karic. I see your cheek hasn’t quite healed up yet.” Aiden said cheerfully as he pulled a stool up to the cell door.

“You?! Why the hell are you here?” He thought he was hallucinating at this point. Aiden simply chuckled lightly.

“You see, Mr. Karic, I need some help, and I believe that you are the man for the job.”

“Why the fuck would I ever help you?! You ruined my...” he started lividly, until he heard the jingle of cell keys coming from Aiden’s hand, “Are those...”

“The keys to your cell. I took them off the guard’s belt after I told them to go back to their stations. The back exit is unguarded today, I’ve told that guard to leave for the night.”

“Why...”

“Tell me what I need to know, Karic, and we’ll talk.” His voice was mirthful yet commanding.

“...Fine. What do you want, prick?” He knew he couldn’t pass up a chance to leave this hell, even if the way out was given by someone he despised.

“Why did you take all those immigrants in your caravan?” Aiden asked, leaning forward on his stool to rest his chin on his hand.

“They needed to go somewhere and they payed. What of it?”

“Yet, you only costed them 5,000z a head. Why? I know for a fact the cheapest you do normally is 15. Why such a dramatic discount?”

“W-well, I...” He truly didn’t even remember he reduced his price at all. What had he been thinking?

“I bet you weren’t even planning on selling them when you got to the drop off point. Oh, don’t look so surprised. You really think I don’t know how your...profession operates?”

 _Was I? All I remember is wanting to get out of there. Why do I want to leave so bad?_  

“Also, the location of the drop off point. Do you even know where it is?” Aiden knew he would be confused. He also knew the answer to his question, before the Caravaneer even said it.

“I-I... what the fuck does it even matter where I was going?! I was going where they told...”

“Did they even tell you where to go?”

“What?”

“I noticed that most of them spoke completely different languages. I’m going to assume that you can only speak Lish. How could they have told you where to go if you can’t understand them?”

Now Almed was getting annoyed. How dare this kid talk down to him like that. For now, he’d grit his teeth and bare it, but when he let him out... “Look, kid. You already know the answers to your own questions, so why even ask me?”

“Just trying to confirm something. Anyway, it may please you to know that, though I couldn’t let all those people leave the country without a passport, I was able to get them safe housing within the border. They can’t pass through here, but at least they don’t have to go back.”

“Why the hell would I care?”

“So you were lying when you said you cared about them. Again, just confirming something.”

 _This damn kid!_ he thought angrily, glaring at the hunter as he sat up and put the stool to the side. “We done here?” Almed asked.

“Yes, we’re all done.” Aiden said as he turned towards the exit.

“Wait, what about the deal?”

“Hm? What? I already finished my part of the deal.”

“The fuck are you talking about?” Almed exclaimed angrily, gripping the bars of the cell and glaring at Aiden.

“You told me what I needed to know, and then we talked. Good talking to you, Karic!” he winked mirthfully, twirling the keys around his index finger as he walked towards the door. As he walked out with the sounds of several screamed obscenities and the gasps of the guard he stole the keys from, he looked up at the sky with a determined look in his eye.

_So, that’s how it’s going to begin, hm? How troublesome._

 

**_Damn Mocon, back at it again with the long chapters. I really didn’t expect how this chapter turned out. It was originally gonna have a fight scene and some other stuff, but I think I’ll save that for the next chapter. Anyway, if you like what I’m bringing to the table, hit me up with a follow (and maybe a favorite if you feel like it). Don’t? Comment on how I should improve. Got questions? Hit me up on dat tumblr. As always, see you in the next chapter!_ **

 


	7. Meeting the Wolf!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiden and Cassandra's relationship changes, and a strange figure appears before them.

**Hey, hey, hey! Mocon here with another author’s note. So, many a technical difficulty has happened in the past few weeks, but surprisingly this chapter didn’t take me months to make, even though it felt like it took me that long to me. As this chapter was made on like 4 different devices and I have terrible memory, please tell me if I messed up at all in the comments, whether grammatically or with the characters. Thanks for sticking around those who’ve read from the beginning!**

 

_ Ok, what’s the game plan? _ Cassandra thought as she rode the Popo driven wagon to Dundorma. She had been on the road for a little less than an hour, mostly reading a little from a book she always brought with her. Now, as her stop approached, she began to feel anxiety build up in her chest. She always felt this way when she had to talk to people alone. All the confidence she had when she was with Isaac simply washed away as soon as he left her side, and she hated that about herself.  _ What am I gonna say? “Hey, Aiden! So, that ritual, huh? Whats all that about?” _ . Even in her head, she knew that that was terrible. She bit her lip in frustration and rested her head against the wall of the wagon.  _ Come on, me. You talked to him before, you fricken punched him in the face! Why is this any different? _ . She knew how it was different, though. This is why it was so difficult for her to make new friends, and meet new people.  _ Isaac didn’t let that stop him though,  _ Cassandra thought with a smile.  _ Neither did the guys over at the guild, or any of my friends. I talk to them daily, I say things that I could’ve easily kept to myself. I’m a hunter, god dammit! If I can kill a monster, I can talk to a person! _

“Miss Everly, there’s a man dressed in white on the road. ‘This the guy you wanted to meet?” the driver asked from the front of the caravan, the wagon slowing to a stop.

_...Hoh boy... _ “Yup, that's the guy.” she answered, peering out the canvas flap on the wagon wall to see the other hunter leisurely walking toward the caravan. “This is my stop. Thanks, Rook!” she exclaimed, stepping out of the caravan and tossing up a gold coin to the driver, who caught it without looking. He grunted lightly in response, as was his nature, and turned the wagon around to begin the trek back to Val Habar. Her tanktop flapped in the wind as she walked towards Aiden, trying to appear as confident as possible while her insides twisted and turned.

“Ah, my Cassandra! What brings you here?” he asked happily, the sight of her snapping him out of his thoughts.

“........Hi.”  _ Off to a great start, dumbass. _

“Impatient, are we, hm? You must have more questions for me.”

“Must be hard, being so vague all the time.” she said unconsciously, stepping up beside him as they walked back down the road.  _ Way to go, subconscious! You always pull through for me! _

He chuckled lightly and turned his gaze to her, “Always leave them wanting more, my dear. It makes life more interesting.”

“And more annoying for the people who want more.” she added, feeling more confident in her social abilities.

He chuckled harder this time, “That's true, too. What do you want to know?”

“What does the ritual entail, exactly?” she asked, the question that had been on her mind for days finally floating between them.

“That, I actually don’t know much about, myself.” he answered with a shrug. 

_ Wow, that got me exactly nowhere.  _ she thought, defeated.

“I do know some things, however. I know that it requires my friend to evaluate you. She’ll first assess what monster’s blood is predominate within you, then you’ll have to fight those monsters in the arena, because materials from those monsters specifically are used in the ritual. After that, not so much.”

“Wait,” she said, suddenly realizing something, “How do you not know what happens during the Awakening if you’re awakened?”

“...I was born like this.” he answered in a slightly shaky voice after a few seconds, taking Cassandra aback. She had never heard him speak with any sort of emotion this intense. “Do you believe that this is a fate I would wish for myself?”

“A-Aiden, I...”

But, she was cut off by the sound of his chuckle and the dry crinkle of a hand being run through hair, “My apologies, Cassandra. You did nothing wrong. Heh, guess I got a bit silly there.”

Silence took over their walk home for several minutes afterwards, anxiety knotting Cassandra’s insides.  _ What would Isaac do now?  _ “It’s Cassy.” she said, almost whispering.

“Hm?”

“My friends call me Cassy. We’re gonna be partners soon, right?” she asked, a friendly grin spreading across her face in the fashion of a certain someone, “Might as well be friends too, while we’re at it.”

A look of utter confusion flashed across his face, as though he had never heard such words in his life, or at least in that order. He broke eye contact with the girl, and stared down at his feet with the same look.  _ Is he...is he blushing?  _ She thought as he began to grin slightly, still looking down at the ground.  _ He’s totally blushing! And a genuine smile!  _ Suddenly, deep, hearty laughter escaped his lips, giving Cassandra a turn to be confused.

“My apologies.” he sighed, wiping his eye a little, “It’s just... I’ve never been asked such a thing before, and...it’s quite a strange feeling...to have a choice, you see.” She felt a twinge of sadness in his voice, one that resonated with her in an unidentifiable way. “However,” he began, returning his silver gaze to her, “I just so happen to be quite used to strange, my de... I mean, Cassy.” Just like that, her anxiety melted away from her guts, and she felt a whole lot better being around him.

A very peaceful silence surrounded them as they continued their walk, now about halfway there. She enjoyed walks like this, just her, the world, and her thoughts. Yet, she felt that in order for her new relationship to take off, she should have to actually talk to the person beside her. She could probably get some more info now that she’s no longer afraid to talk to him. Unfortunately, it seemed like Aiden also had the same idea, at the same time, because that's exactly how they decided to speak.

“So Aiden, you...”

“Cassy, I’m...” They both stopped talking immediately at the sound of the others voice, turning to face the other. They both giggled a little at the slight, Cassandra holding out her hand to the other hunter as a gesture for him to start.

“I wanted to...apologize for how I acted the other day at the house. Most people who ask for information as you have do so for reasons I don’t condone, and seek Awakening for the power and fame it can bring. I’m still not a very good judge of character yet, so I just assumed...”

“Hey man, don’t worry about it. You saved my life, you’re entitled to be as rude as you want! Besides, that was before we became partners, so it doesn’t count!”

He chuckled again, looking down at his new friend, “What a way of looking at things.”

“Anyway, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. You said your friend was gonna be doing the ritual. Are you gonna be vague and annoying again or are you gonna tell me who she is?” she asked, feeling more confident talking to him.

“You know what? I actually don’t feel like being vague. You can imagine how incredibly new this feeling is to me right now. I think I’ll just keep talking about how wonderful it is to have the veil of vagueness lifted off my body!” he exclaimed, laying the sarcasm on thick.

“Ok, now you’re just being difficult.” she said in mock anger, enticing another laugh from his lips.

“Ok, ok, I shall tell you about her. Her name is Io Heseka. She goes by many titles, but the most common one is “Io the Red”. She is a little... rough, but she has a kind soul. That’s why Nature is so fond of her.” he explained, trying to gauge whether his answer was good enough by the expression on her face.

“Why are all you guys named after colors?”

He shrugged at the response, “After Master found me and showed Io to me, he let me pick whatever name I wanted. I had a first name at that point, so I just went with the theme for my last.”

“Ok, that works. See, was that so hard?” she asked mockingly, adding an inflection to the statement to drive it home.

“Actually, that was incredibly painful. Oh no, I feel faint...” He even pretended to swoon.  _ Damn, he’s a good actor! _

“Oh, shut up, dude!” she giggled, holding him up as he fell back against her jokingly.

“Hey, Cassy?” He leaned forward now, away from her. 

“What’s up?”

“Where is Isaac right now, if I may ask?” 

“He’s visiting his mom in Cathar.” She shot him a look of confusion.  _ Why does he want to know? _

“Ah, that’s what I thought. You’ve also talked to your family, right?” Concern was heavy in his voice. 

She sighed, looking out at the setting sun, “I’ve talked to all the family I need to.”

Suddenly, she could hear his steps stop abruptly in the dirt, and when she turned to look at him, she saw a look of sadness on his face. “Look, Cassandra. I may not know all that much about the Awakening, but I do know the risk. A birth defect you didn’t know about, a sprained ankle, even a thorn prick can dramatically change the mutation process. There are many things more worse than death, I’ve seen them. When I first told you about the book, I said I did not care. Well, you’re going to be helping me and my Lucy, so now I care. What if you regret not letting your parents see their daughter one last time?” As he finished, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She could feel her face flush at his touch and the pressure that his words held, but she refused to allow them to change her mind. 

She placed her own hand over his and returned his gaze. “Aiden, I understand your concern, and thank you for being open with me about the dangers. Really, I appreciate it. But, I already told you, I’ve talked to all the family that I needed to.” And she had. Val Habar, Isaac...they were all the family she needed.

“Noooooooooooooo!” the scream pierced the air around them as a large, brightly colored object fell out of the sky. They turned in shock to see it hit the trees with a wet snap, with several more sounds accompanying it's fall down to the forest floor. They turned to look at each other one more time, and then sprinted over to the object.

Or, rather, it went over to them, because as soon as the two hunters had entered the tree line, a very disoriented and leaf covered Isaac stumbled into them. “Isaac?!” Cassandra exclaimed in amazement as the taller hunter slumped against her, clearly dazed.

“Be careful with him. He might have a concussion.” Aiden said, stepping on the other side of Isaac to hold him steady.

“Cass...Cassy I’m ok I think, I think...I may have hit my fall in da head.” Isaac slurred, making sporadic hand gestures all the while.

“Definitely a concussion.”

She ignored Aiden for a second, putting all her attention towards her friend, “Isaac, what happened?”

Suddenly, he pushed himself up and gripped Cassandra’s shoulders with urgency, “Cassy, Cassy...we gotta...we gotta stop you...you’re gonna smooch a bad man.”

_ Smooch a bad... _ As she went over the words in her head, her tan face turned scarlet and she unconsciously slapped him across the face, forgetting that he had a concussion as she stammered “We weren’t gonna kiss, ya ding dong! We were just talking.”

Aiden shot her a look like “how the hell was that supposed to help?” as Isaac shot up his fists in triumph, clearly unfazed by the slap, “Yay, I did it!”

“Do things like this happen a lot?” Aiden asked as they laid Isaac on the ground.

“You wouldn’t believe it. He’ll be fine, just needs a mega potion and he’ll be back to being an idiot consciously in a snap.” She turned now to her friend with a bottle of the medicine in hand, “Isaac, did you really jump off an airship just for that?” she asked in a soft voice. She tipped the bottle to pour between his lips before he could answer, and as he drank, her own lips spread into a calm grin.

He finished the potion and, after the bottle was removed from his lips, he pointed to Aiden, “He’s a bad man, Cassy.”

“Why?” both Aiden and Cassandra asked inquisitively.

He removed a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and held it out for both of them to read. It was a copy of the poster from Cathar. They read in silence for a while, tension building between them with every word. Finally, Cassandra turned slowly to Aiden, who was already looking at her. “Aiden,” her tone was very serious, her gaze piercing his soul, “Did you have anything to do with this?”

“You would have been the first know if I had organized this, you have my word on that.” he said sincerely, not showing a shred of doubt.

“If it wasn’t you,” Isaac started, his speech already back to normal, “Then who else could possibly have...”

It seemed that nobody but Aiden heard the sharp snapping of trees in the distance, or felt the massive rush of wind because as soon as Isaac and Cassandra had turned in surprise at the noise, Aiden was already behind them, pulling them quickly to safety as a large red and white blur blew past them like a bullet. It crashed with a loud thump against a great tree, embedding itself deep into the bark. Cassandra leaned past the tree they were hiding behind to get a better look at the object.  _ It's...a person?! _ she thought, shocked at the figure before her. They were cloaked in an armor unlike any she had ever seen before. It was made from some sort of white stone with veins of blood red etched like arteries under the skin. The breastplate was segmented, each piece surrounded by tufts of white fur. The abdomen was covered in scale-like chainmail, which ended in a plate mail cup and waist armor. The arm and leg armor was a mix of the mail, plate, and fur, and on the right chest plate was a guild insignia carved into the stone, just in front of the heart. What was most striking about the figure was their helmet. It seemed to be modeled after a creature that she didn’t recognize. It looked kind of like a Zinogre, but it’s head was thinner and hornless, and it’s snout was longer. It was depicted snarling, made with the same stone as the rest of the armor. Unmoving, unknown, at that point, it was more intimidating than any monster she had met before. 

She almost didn’t notice the ground shaking a little for the third time, revealing the direction of the perpetrator of the figure’s expulsion.  _ A Brachydios? Right outside Val Habar?! _ It’s shiny obsidian armor sparkled slightly in the now early moonlight as the monster entered the newly made clearing, eyes glowing a strange deep red as it glowered at the person in the tree. Cassandra had just noticed the monster’s distended belly when she heard the figure stir in the bark.

“That’s not what I meant...” the person grunted in a gruff, slightly muffled voice as they tore themself from the tree, “When I said fist me, sweetheart.” The figure was tall, as tall as Isaac by the looks of it, even though their stature was slumped as they wobbled on the ground, seemingly not used to standing after being hit so hard.

Cassandra made a move to stand, but she stopped as Aiden tapped her hip, gesturing for her to stay low. “Shh.” he whispered as he pointed ahead towards the two. The Brachy stopped it’s walk, growling at the hunter with eyes as red as blood.  _ It looks just like the Nargacuga.  _ Cassandra noticed shockingly, breath caught in her throat as a sudden wave of nausea hit her. Isaac noticed her immediate apprehension, and laid his hand over hers. She gripped it unconsciously as the Brachy reeled it’s head back, inhaling deeply, and then launching it forward with an earsplitting roar. It was different than a normal roar for a Brachy. It was a lot more shrill and rusty.  _ It’s almost like it’s in pain.  _ The three hunter’s, without ear plugs, held their hands tight against their ears, gritting their teeth against the onslaught of noise.

The other hunter did not seem at all affected by the noise. In fact, they were motionless as the noise subsided. As soon as it did, however, the hunter did a very peculiar thing. They reeled back their own head and detached the jaw on the helmet, opening the snarl into a gaping crevice. Before she had a chance to think, the hunter leaned forward with incredible speed, and released the most terrifying roar she had ever heard. She heard an incredible howl mixed with what she thought was several human screeches as the air around them rippled with the shear force of the noise. The Brachy fell back, blinking in surprise and...horror? The air around the party felt incredibly dense, like the whole world bunched up in fear of this strange and powerful creature.

The hunter closed their jaw with a click, “See? Not so cool when someone else can do it better, huh, sugar?” their cracked their knuckles as the Brachydios shook its head and licked it's fist plates, “Still rarin to go? Didn’t your mother ever tell ya?...”

The monster wouldn't wait for the hunter to finish. It’s fist primed to blow, the Brachy rushed forward, launching itself in the air...

“...not to bring fists...” the hunter pulled back their own fist, a strange crackling layer of red electricity over the gauntlet on their right hand as the Brachy crashed down straight for them.  _ What the hell’s going?! That person’s gonna get smashed! _

The hunter launched their fist forward, the two appendages connecting. “...to a me fight!” Red lightning flashed up the monster’s arm for a split second, and then the entire surface exploded.

Shards of plate and blood flew in all directions as the monster screamed in agony, launching backwards from the force of the explosion. The blast didn’t faze the hunter at all. They kicked back against the ground, launching forward like a bullet to basically teleport above the Brachy’s head. With incredible force, the hunter kicked down against the monster’s mantle, knocking the beast out of flight and smashing it into the ground with enough power to shake the whole forest. Cassandra watched the whole minute fight, mouth gaping open at the sheer power of the figure who now sauntered away from the monster towards the tree that the monster punched them at. She turned towards the other two beside her, Isaac with a starry eyed look of amazement and wonder ( _ Not surprised at all.) _ , and Aiden, who merely grinned lightly, giving a look of someone who’s visiting an old friend.

She turned her attention to the hunter, who was draping a long sheet of cloth over their shoulder that Cassandra realized must of been some sort of cape. She heard another rumble coming from the monster, who she saw was starting to get back up. However, this time instead of the crazy glowing eyes that it and the Nargacuga had shared before, it’s eyes were dull red, and extremely confused, darting between the hunter and it’s broken paw. Just like nothing had happened, the Brachydios turned in the opposite direction of the hunter, towards the great volcano. “Nice talk, buddy! Good luck with the kid!” the hunter called out in a friendly tone as the monster disappeared into the trees, “Sorry ‘bout the paw!”

Cassandra had never been so confused in her whole life. Who was this person, why did the Brachy just leave after the fight, why was Aiden currently walking towards the hunter...wait.  _ Why is Aiden walking towards that thing?! _ Her frantic thought were cut out as he clicked his tongue, “Not going to kill the beast?”

“Naw, too tired,” the hunter yawned, turning towards Aiden, “‘sides, it was pregnant. ‘Bout to pop, too.”

“That is more of a reason to get rid of it,” he pointed out fiercely, tension mounting between them.

“What can I say?” the hunter said icly, “I’ve got a weak spot for that sorta thing. What you gonna do about it, kid?”

The two predators stared each other down, the air growing heavy again. _ Are they gonna... _ she thought, squeezing Isaac’s hand a little harder. Suddenly, the two erupted in laughter, the taller hunter draping an arm on the shorter one’s shoulder, pulling him close. “Da fuq?” she deadpanned as the hunter pulled Aiden down for a noogie, knocking his hat to the ground.

“Aiden! Long time, no see, kiddo! How’s my favorite nephew doing?”

Aiden pushed away to face the hunter, hair badly ruffled, “I’m not your nephew, old woman!”  _ Women?!  _ Cassandra thought, taken aback.  _ This beast of a hunter? _

“Who you calling old, snow cap? You probably have more white hair than I do!”

“All of your hair is white!” he quipped in return, trying desperately to escape her grasp (but failing miserably).

“Not my bang.”

“I’m still convinced that you dye it red.”

“Not to interrupt your reunion with this completely kick-ass dude, but what’s going on?” Isaac asked, breaking his odd streak of silence with eyes still sparkling with wonder and confusion.

“Oh, right. I forgot to explain.” Aiden realized, easily slipping out of the hunter’s now loose grip and gesturing towards her, “This is who will be conducting the ritual. We were supposed to meet her tomorrow, but it seems like we’re ahead of schedule.”

“Hey, kids.” she waved a little at the two, and then gave them a formal bow. “I am Io Emric Heseca, guardian of the 1st Grand Library, and head of the Awakened division of the Hunter’s guild. Welcome to the suicide mission.”

  
**So, what’d you think of this one, eh? I already have too many characters to keep track of! Speaking of characters, I’m gonna start writing bios of characters in the story on the tumblr account to keep anyone interested on track with the story, and as more information comes out I’ll update it accordingly (also I may put other cool surprises up so go check it out when all that’s good). Anyway, see you in the next chapter!**


	8. Nature Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes return with Io to her home, and meet her father. But, who is Io's father, and what does he have in store for them?

“Hi. I’m Isaac Mechanos.” he replied excitedly, an enthusiastic grin on his face as he bowed in return. _When the hell did he get up?!_ Cassandra thought frantically, suddenly noticing the loss of warmth from his hand in hers. “I’m the guardian of no one and the head of nothing. And, well, suicide’s in the name.”

“I’m gonna like this one.” Io whispered to Aiden at her side, nudging him a little. She turned then to Cassandra, who was still kneeling on the ground. As soon as their eyes met, a wave of heat spread quickly through Cassandra’s cheeks. She quickly bolted up and performed a flustered bow.

“I-I’m Cas-ssandra Ev-verly.” _Those eyes..._ She couldn’t stop thinking about the Brachydios, her heart still beating hard from the thought of it’s burning red eyes, so like the Nargacuga that almost ended her life.

“What are ya nervous about, kid? I don’t bite.” Io pointed out, concerned. Aiden turned his head towards the hunter, and tapped lightly against the helmet she still wore. She gasped slightly and leaned her head down into her hands, which turned the helmet to the side with a sharp metallic click and a puff of steam. With a quick pull, the helmet was off, revealing her true face. Her skin was a deep ochre, making her snowy white hair tied back in a short ponytail stand out shockingly. A single thin bang of blood red partially hid one of her golden eyes which were focused on Cassandra. Her face had several scars, three of which ran from the side of her chin past her lips, almost reaching her nose. Cassandra thought that there was something bizarrely handsome about her, rather than beautiful.

“Sorry about that, kids. I always forget I have that thing on.” She grinned, showing off her long and sharp canines. “It wasn’t the helmet, hm?”

“Well uh, I-I uh...” She could feel all the eyes burning with concern and confusion pressing down on her, but her heart was chained by fear. _I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe!_ She was breathing really heavily, yet she felt like no oxygen was being absorbed.

“Ah, there's the problem!” Io exclaimed suddenly, touching a finger to Cassandra’s chest. Confused, the young hunter looked down to inspect the “problem”, when the finger twitched upward rapidly, passing lightly against her nose. “Made ya look.”

She inhaled sharply, leaning back and pressing a hand on her nose instinctively. Hearing laughter from Io and the others, she nearly instantly realized what just occurred, and just like that, her heart became unburdened by fear. _How did I fall for that._ She was ashamed by her own reaction to the lamest of pranks, yet she laughed at herself and at the lightness she felt inside.

“You alright now, kid?”

Cassandra held a friendly grin now, nervousness now melted away, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not sure why I was so... you know.”

Io’s expression got darker then, like she was uncovering some dark memory from the corner of her mind. “The Primordial Fear debuff. Haven't seen it since...probably not since Jarrell was alive, now that I think about it.”

 _Primordial Fear? I’ve never heard of that debuff. How did she know I have a debuff if she can’t see my HUD?_ Cassandra thought, lightly touching the Hunting Utility Device in her pocket. “She probably received it from the incident with the Deathclaw Nargacuga.” Aiden observed, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Deathclaw?” Isaac asked, as confused as his friend.

“A Deathclaw is a monster who has been infected with a mutated form of the Frenzy virus, most likely delivered by the First strain Shagaru Magala. That Brachy who’s ass I kicked earlier was also infected with it, but a good bash to the head is all it takes to snap them out of it. Their movesets, and therefore their weaknesses, change based on the strain, so my hunter’s guide is kinda useless information wise on how to fight them, making them the most dangerous for normal hunter’s to kill.” Io explained slowly, allowing her wealth of knowledge to sink in.

“What do you mean, your hunter’s guide?” Isaac cut in again, “I mean, how would the info in your hunter’s guide relate to others?”

“Oh, you didn’t tell them, Aidy?” Io asked the hunter, a proud smirk on her face, “Who do you think wrote the damn thing?”

“Wait wait, hold up. You wrote the hunter’s guide?!”

“And the God Killer’s guide, which I’ve been told you’ve been meaning to get your hand’s on, kid.”

“That’s just not possible, though.” Cassandra said incredulously, “The original hunter’s guide was written over 200 years ago with the creation of the Wycademy!”

Io sighed, her helmet drooping between her arm and side, “Look like it’s gonna be a long night, kids. I was gonna have you guys over tomorrow, but since you're here now, I’m sure Cece won’t mind a few house guests. You coming, Aidy?”

“My apologies, Commander, but I can’t. I promised Lucy I would be home before she went off to bed.”

“You know you don’t have to call me that, kid. You’re family. Anyway, I’ll be over in a day or two anyway. We’ve got some news to discuss, about him.”

Aiden’s expression turned dark, like a mixture of seriousness and fear, which Cassandra could pick up for but a moment before he turned, pulling his hat onto his head. “Alright Io, I shall await your arrival. Goodnight.”

“G’night, old man!” she exclaimed with a fanged smirk and a wave.

“Good night, dude.” Isaac also said, startling both Cassandra and Aiden.

“Isaac, don’t you still...” Aiden began.

“Naw, we’re cool. Can’t be mad at my partner, now can I?” he explained with a grin, infecting Aiden with a similar one as he turned again to walk home. _Of course. Isaac can’t hold a grudge even if he tried._

“Alright kids, let's get a move on here, we’re burnin’ moonlight! Let me hail us a ride.” Io announced, snapping the hunters back to alertness. _A ride?_ Before Cassandra had a chance to ask, however, Io cupped her hands in front over her face like a funnel and released a deep, powerful howl that reverberated through the forest. _I’ve got to ask her how she does that later._ she mentally noted to herself. As she finished the thought, she felt the fauna rustling behind her, like something big and fast was tearing through the brush. Before she could prepare herself for an assault, a huge white silhouette shot out of the brush above her, soaring through the air to land on the far side of the clearing. As the figure began walking casually toward the group, she noticed more of it’s features. It was the size of a Zinogre, yet thinner and more mammalian than reptilian. It’s head was just like the helmet Io wore, except that on the beast’s head was a set of beautiful horns, like the one’s on a older Kelbi male. It’s paws were covered in blood red fur up to the knees, as was the tip of the tail, a dot on it’s head, and the outline of it’s two gorgeous golden eyes. The rest of it’s pelt was snow white, and it’s horns were brownish tan. It was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.

It took a seat next to Io, who turned to the creature to pet it’s neck fur lightly. “Hey buddy! This big furball is Ryko, my partner in crime. He’s like for me what a palico is for other hunter’s, except he can’t speak Lish.”

“What is he though?” Cassandra asked, still enraptured by his beauty.

“That’s kinda hard to explain. How about we just say he’s a wolf. A really big wolf. With horns. He’s gonna be our ride for the evening, right, bud?” Io asked with a behind-the-ear scratch, to which Ryko purred in delight.

“Wait, we’re gonna ride him?!” the young hammer wielder asked incredulously, scared of the answer. She was dared as a kid to ride a baby Popo, once, and as soon as she got on the kid who dared her threw a sonic bomb and whacked the baby on the behind, causing it to panic and flail around, throwing Cassandra here and there. Needless to say, she beat the kid senseless, but since that day, she had a phobia of rough riding.

“My home is a ways off kid. If we tried to walk, we probably wouldn’t make it till midnight. With Ryko, it’ll only be a short ride.”

“Heck yeah, that's frickin’ awesome! Come on, pipsqueak, let’s go!” Isaac exclaimed excitedly, pushing the girl towards the wolf from behind as it laid to accept passengers.

“But Isaac I...”

“Hey, don’t worry so much Cassy. It’ll only be a short ride.”

“But...”

“Kids, let’s hustle! I don’t want Cece to know I’m gone.” Hesitant, Cassandra climbed up the huge wolf’s side to rest behind Isaac, who was nearly giddy with excitement. “Oh, I should warn you guys, Ryko doesn’t like when people tug on his fur, so you’re gonna have to hold on to the person in front of you.”

 _Oh shit._ Cassandra thought, red exploding on her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Isaac’s middle. Feeling her tense up behind him as Ryko rose, Isaac turned, concern on his face. “Cassy, it’s gonna be alright. I’m right here, I’m not gonna let you fall.”

His concerned, calming voice made her blush even deeper, yet she did feel a bit better. “Ok, Isaac.” she said, nearly whispering nervously.

“I promise not to fart on the way.”

“Ew, dude, shut up!” she laughed as Ryko began to walk, slowly picking up speed as they approached a tree that blocked the path to the forest.

“Ok, hold on!” Io exclaimed over the rush of air as Ryko dipped his knees. _What’s about to.._. Suddenly, he released all the power in his legs, and shot himself and his passengers nearly straight up. Cassandra screamed involuntarily from the rush of air as they traveled vertically, Ryko using the side of the great tree to boost higher and higher until...poof! They blew straight through the leaves and branches of the tree right to the top, the new night sky in perfect view as Ryko landed on the treetop and bounced off, tree to tree as fast as lightning.

* * *

 

She didn’t realize that she was literally squeezing the life out of her friend until they had already landed on the forest floor 12 minutes later, in another clearing with a path. She squeaked, releasing her grasp to allow air to finally return to Isaac’s lungs. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed as Io hopped off the wolf’s back, stretching a little.

He managed to wheeze out a quick “It’s fine”, as the hunter helped the two down from Ryko. “Ok, kids, the house is just a little ways down the path. Ryko, you go patrol the forest and desert, ‘kay?” The wolf nodded, and with another leap disappeared into the treetops. Our heroes began to walk down the dirt path, towards an ever growing dot in the distance.

“So, uh, you’re a god hunter, right?”, Isaac asked, breaking the silence between the trio.

“Only the best. Well, that's debatable, but my kid thinks so. I make and train all the god hunters. There are 23 active as of today, but you probably won’t see another.”

“Only 23?”

“Remember, god hunters are basically only for hunting first and second strain dragons and those they affect, so you don’t need a lot at a time. Plus, it’s easier to keep a small number of super powered knuckleheads in line rather than a bunch of ‘em. Those are the guild’s reasons for not making more.”

“What’s your reason?” Isaac asked inquisitively.

She hung her head down slightly and sighed, “To be honest, I’m just really tired of burying kids.”

Cassandra’s breath hitched in her throat, and as she turned to her friend, she could see all the blood had left his face. “Io, what’s the mortality rate for the awakening?” she asked in almost a whisper, knowing that the answer would only make her feel worse.

  “I’m not gonna bullshit you guys. I’ve had as many corpses as I’ve had hunters. It's the flip of the coin, really.” Her voice was serious to the point of frightening.

“So then one of us is guaranteed to die then, is that what you’re saying?!” Isaac asked angrily, temper flaring.

“Whoa kid, calm down! That's not what I'm saying at all. In fact, I got high hopes for you two.” she said calmly, turning to face them. When she noticed the inquiring looks they gave, she continued, “You see, in all the awakening’s I’ve done, there's been a pattern in the data. The ones that lived without terrible mutations were the ones that were great hunters before the procedure. What me and the scientists over at the library think is that there is some gene, or maybe a quality of the soul, that makes hunters able to use monster blood to it's full potential. These hunter exhibited strengths and instincts at higher levels than hunters with more monster blood. From what I’ve heard, you two have that special something, but I’m not gonna take that chance. That's why I signed you up for that arena match on Friday.”

 _I knew it wasn’t Aiden! Though, what she said, “a quality of the soul”. What could she have meant?_ “You signed us up? What are we gonna fight?” Isaac asked, most assuredly feeling like a dick for accusing Aiden.

“You’ll be fighting the demon within your souls, kids.” Something about the way she said it made Cassandra shutter. _The demon in our souls?_ Before she had a chance to ask this, however, a cry was heard behind the tall hunter, and as she turned, the group saw a small boy, maybe 7 or 8 years old, running towards them.

“Daddy!” the boy cried, running up to Io.

 _Daddy?_ Cassandra thought as Io got on a knee, dropping her helmet to catch the boy, who wrapped his arms around her neck. “Hey, puppy! What are you doing out so late?” Io asked happily, grinning as she ruffled the boy's spiky white hair. Now able to look at him better, Cassandra noticed that the boy almost exactly like the hunter who held him. Same white hair with a lock of red, but spiky, like Isaac. Same complexion, same golden eyes. _They look more like twins than mother and son. And what’s with the whole “daddy” thing?_

“Mommy was worried, so I went out to find you!,” the boy answered proudly.

“Tamryn, I know you were looking out for yer mom, but I told you not to go out after dark!” When she saw the boy’s disappointed face, she continued, “Well, at least your tracking skills have gotten better. Now, let's get you home before your mother has a heart attack, ok?” Tamryn nodded with a contented grin, and as Io turned to walk forward, Isaac cleared his throat loudly, causing Io to gasp slightly and turn towards the two she had clearly forgotten. “Oh right, I almost forgot about you two! Guys, this is my kid, Tamryn. Say hi, buddy.”

“Hello. Who are you guys?” Tamryn asked confused.

Just as Io was about about to say something about how that wasn’t a very polite way of asking the question, Isaac spoke up, “Hey there kid, I’m Isaac, and the short awkward one is Cassandra.”

The boy’s eyes lit up as Cassandra’s fist knocked her friend upside the head, “Does that mean you’re the dancing queen?”

This sudden recognition took Cassandra aback, “Well yeah, uh, that's my hunter title.”

“Really?! I have your hunter card at home, it’s my best one! You’re so cool!” the boy gushed, enticing a blush out of the young hunter, who wasn’t used to such flattery.

“Yeah, he really loves monster hunting. Definitely my fault, with all the hunting stuff I got him.”

“Well then, you must have heard about me, the great suicide sniper, as well, right?” Isaac asked, puffing his chest out in pride.

“Nope. Never heard of you.” Tamryn said bluntly, visibly crushing the hunter’s pride considerably.

“Well, I think that’s all the introduction we need. The house is just past this brush up ahead.” Io pointed out, getting the group moving towards the goal again. “By the way, Tammy, just how long was I gone for?”

“2 hours.”

Io’s face immediately turned white at the news, and a cold sweat grew over her visage, “T-Two h-h-hours?! Oh god, your mom’s gonna kill me.”

“Are you scared, daddy?”

“Me, scared? Not at all, nothing scares me, especially not Cece. Nope, not at...” she babbled on nervously as they walked through a patch of forest that grew over the path.

“Io Emric,” a thickly accented voice called past the brush, visibly turning Io to stone. As the other two hunters caught up to Io, who was just at the edge of the forest, Cassandra got a look at the voice’s owner. She was standing on the porch of a sizeable wooden cottage, looking to be about a foot shorter than Io, one hand on her hip and the other holding a small bundle, and a scowl on her face. She had creamy white skin, aided by the light of the moon, with light teal hair that was accompanied by locks of gold and white tied in a braid. And her eyes... _Her eyes, they don’t...where are the pupils?_ The woman’s pupils seemed to have been swallowed by her irises, which were emerald green. She was hauntingly beautiful, and frighteningly pissed.

“H-hey Ce...”

“I’ll get to you in a second, Heseca. Tamryn, honey, could you come over here please?” her voice became sweet at the mention of the boy, who Io let onto the ground to walk over to the woman, “Tamryn, you can’t just leave the house without telling me. You scared me half to death, baby!”

“I’m sorry, mommy.” He looked down at his feet, hands held together.

“Oh, I’m not mad at you, love. I’m mad at your father. Now, go on inside, I’ll be there in a minute to read you a story, alright?” Tamryn nodded and walked into the cabin, allowing his mother to return her gaze to Io.

“S-Sweetheart, I...” Io started walking up to the woman.

“Don’t you “sweetheart” me, Io. Where have you been? Because I remember you were supposed to be bathing Emi. How that turned into “dissapear for 2 hours and not tell your wife,” I will never know.” _Ah. Wife. I get it now._

“Well, I...”

“Let me guess,” she pursed the bridge of her nose with her fingers, closing her eyes in annoyance, “you were out fist fighting something, again. What was it this time? Rajang? Brachydios?”

“...It threw the first punch this time, I swear!” Io exclaimed in defense. The bundle in the woman’s arms hiccuped and wriggled a little before becoming still.

“Io, if you wake this child up I swear to god I will actually kill you tonight.” she whispered angrily, putting a hand lightly to the baby’s chest, “was fighting really more important to you than your daughter, Io?”

That really struck a nerve with the hunter, who looked visibly hurt by the comment. “Cecilia, I’m sorry.” she said in a half whisper, her tone making even Cassandra feel bad for her.

Cecilia sighed, stepping down from the porch to meet the hunter, “I know you're sorry honey. I shouldn’t have said that, it wasn’t fair. I...I just get so worried about you, and you just leave and don’t tell me, and...,” she leaned into Io, their baby nestled in between her and Io’s still armored chest, “I know we mean the world to you, and you want to make the whole world safe just for us, but could you please just inform me before you go off to save the day?”

Io wrapped her arms around Cecilia, one around her middle and the other cradling her head, and held her, “Sorry, sweetheart. Still trying to get used to having you guys around is all.” Looking at them, Cassandra couldn’t help but envy them, because she knew her own parents would never just make up like that. Yet, for some reason, she also couldn’t help but feel glad for their happiness, maybe because their kids wouldn’t grow up like her, with parents who hated each other, and a mother who resented her kids because their dad loved them more than he did her. “By the way, I brought those kids I told you about.”

“Really? Where?” Cecilia asked, leaning away from Io to look around. Io pulled away from her and took her hand, leading her to the brush where the two stood. It was at that moment that Cassandra realized that, to some effect, Cecilia was blind. “Oh, there you are. Hello, my name is Cecilia Heseca, and this is my daughter, Emisa. Very nice to meet you both!” She tilted the bundle slightly, revealing a sleeping infant who, like Tamryn, looked almost exactly like Io. She then held out her hand in between the two, and they took turns shaking it. “This may sound odd, but I could see you better if I felt your face’s first. Would that be alright?”

They both agreed, and after she lightly passed her fingertips over their visages, it was like she could see them with perfect vision. _What kinda blind woman is she? She’s making eye contact, but she can’t see where our eyes are!_ “She’s the head of medical research over at the Library. Isaac, you will probably be working with her a lot over the next few months, so get comfortable,” Io stated, interrupting her thoughts.

“I should probably introduce myself formally then, huh? My name is Isaac Mechanos, and I’m glad to finally find someone who knows about this sorta stuff.”

“If anything thing I’ve learned can help your mother, you can be sure that I’ll put that knowledge to good use. I may not see very well, but I’m not this dummy’s doctor for nothing!” she shook his hand, directly now, one last time, then turned back to Io, “I’ll go read Tammy his story and put Emi to bed, you should go bring the kids to see your father.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll tuck him in when we’re done, ‘kay?” she pecked Cecilia lightly on the lips as she left, then turned to the other hunters, “Ok then, kids. Let’s go see my dad.”

* * *

 

  They were led through the cabin, until they reached a small room against the farthest wall of the house. Entering the room, they immediately noticed the lack of furnishing. The whole room was bare, except for some wall sconces. The only decoration in the room were strange shapes and symbols written in chalk, wrapping around several indented circles and lines.

“Ok, kids, promise not to freak out?” Io asked as she closed the door behind her. The hunters nodded, confused. _Why would we freak out?_ Cassandra didn’t have to wait very long to find out, as Io pressed on a small segment on her armor, which immediately exploded in a bath of red lightning.

Cassandra averted her eyes from the incredibly intense light, and as she looked back, she saw that the armor was gone, the only remaining piece being the snarling helmet. The armor was replaced by a red and white jersey jacket and black jeans, and her gauntlets by bandages that completely covered her hands. Needless to say, they were dumbfounded by the sudden display. “Ah, much better!” Io exclaimed, stretching fitfully. “Don’t just stand there with your mouths open, take a seat in one of those circles. Trust me, that won’t be the most surprising thing you see tonight.” The two did what they were told, still in awe of what just occurred. The older hunter sat in the circle in front of them, and placed the helmet facing the two in the triangle between them. Once the helmet hit the floor, all the symbols, shapes, and lines around the hunters lit up with red light, the symbols blinking randomly. _What is this..._ Cassandra felt the air around her grow heavy and hot.

“Before you meet my dad, he may look mean and scary, but he’s really just a big fluffy push over. Thought I’d warn ya preemptively.” Io grinned, placing her hands, which crackled with the same red lightning as before, on the helmet in front of her. “Now, look right into the eyes for a second, will ya?” Again, the hunters did as they were told, and as their gaze met the helmet, the mouth snapped open, and all was black...           

Then, white. _Where...what is this?_ Cassandra opened her eyes to see an open field surrounded by huge trees, all looking strangely familiar. _This is the same place where we met Io! But why...why is everything in black and white?!_ Indeed the whole forest, the trees, the grass, even the sky, was all white, bordered by black, like a hyper-realistic pencil drawing.

“Beautiful, ain’t it?” Cassandra turned, startled by the voice, to see it was only Io, the only spot of color besides her and Isaac, who was also laying on the white grass.

“What is this place?” Isaac asked, just as confused as his friend.

“This place doesn’t really have a name, but when I wrote about it I called it the World's Forest. This is where my dad lives. You guys ready to meet him?”

“Just who is your “dad”, Io?” Cassandra was tired of waiting and being dragged into strange places enough for one day, and she wasn’t having it anymore. Instead of answering, however, Io turned her back to the two, a toothy grin on her face.

She cupped her hands over her mouth like back in the forest where they met, and inhaled deeply. “I’m home!” she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the forest. At first, there was only the rustling of wind through the trees, as though the wind itself was called upon by the hunter to introduce itself. Then, they heard it, or rather, felt it. Thump, thump, thump, low at first then gaining intensity. With every thump, the forest shook, and as the shaking increased, a rustle escaped from the brush around them. Appearing suddenly from the bushes, large creatures just like Ryko made themselves known, of all different sizes, colors, and horns.

One by one, they circled the hunters, filling up the field until there was almost no more room left. _What the hell..._ Cassandra felt for her weapon, realizing afterwards that she had not thought to bring it with her that day. _Not that it would help anyway, there’s too many of these things._ She turned to Isaac, at a lost as to what she should do, to notice that he was staring intently at one of the wolves in particular, one with short horns and dark brown and white fur.

“Are you alright?” she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He seemed to snap out of whatever it was that compelled him at her touch, “Oh, yeah. I’m uh, I’m fine.” He looked like he had just seen a ghost, concerning Cassandra a bit, “It’s just... I feel like I’ve seen that wolf before, like I know him...” he turned to look back at it, but another wolf had already taken it’s place. Before Cassandra had chance to ask her friend what he meant by all that, a huge thump knocked them both over onto the grass. Cassandra pushed herself up onto her hand, rubbing the other on a sore spot on the back of her head.

“I’m sorry, children, did I harm you?” a voice, deep as a valley and calm as a lake, asked, concerned.

“Oh, that’s al...” Cassandra began, looking up to talk to the stranger directly. As she did, however, what she saw made her squeak in surprise and fear. A massive wolf stood above them, at least twenty meters tall. Like Ryko, it’s pelt was mainly white, yet instead of patches of red around the eyes and feet, it seemed to have every color of the rainbow at once, like the shimmer of true opal. Around it’s paws seemed to be a living flame made of this every-color, and it’s tail looked to be entirely comprised of it. It’s incredible horns also seemed to be made of this material, with a single orb of pure gold suspended in the center. It’s giant golden eyes, like Io’s, stared down at the two, who were slack jawed in awe of this magnificent creature.

“Are you two alright?” it asked, not moving its lips. It was as if it were speaking not only outside, but also inside their heads.

“They’ll be fine, pops, I just don’t think they were expecting you is all.” Io explained, not fazed at all by the creature. _How can she be so calm?!...Did she just call it “pops”?_

The creature still looked very concerned, “I had no intention of startling you, children. I knew this form was too extravagant!”

“Dad, it's ok. They’re tough kids, you should know that!”

“Yes yes, daughter, you know I worry too much. So then, what brings you here, child? How is your litter?”

“All happy and healthy. Tamryn already shot his first bolt just yesterday.” she said proudly. The other wolves, who had opened the circle to accompany the giant one, shared her look of pride.

“That’s wonderful, child! You can tell Tamryn that grandpa is very proud of him.”

“Will do!” _What the hell is going right now? Why is her dad a giant wolf, why does he live here, where is here?_ Cassandra, and from what she could see of Isaac, was overwhelmed by confusion.

The wolf turned back to look at her then, a knowing look over his face, “Yes, I can see how this would be confusing,” he said, startling the poor girl once more. _How did he...did I say that aloud?_

“No, Cassandra, I’m afraid you didn’t. You see, in this place, thoughts and words are one and the same. My apologies, let me introduce myself. I go by many names, by hundreds of your cults and religions. I wear...”

“Yeah yeah, dad, different skins, many names, blah blah blah. Kids, this is my father, Nature.” Io stood in front of the wolf, hands splayed to either side. Cassandra’s breath hitched yet again, and she could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest. _Nature...everything Aiden said...everything Io wrote..._

“Yes, the gist of it is true, however my daughter gets into the habit of writing and speaking very daftly,” he answered, placing a paw on Io, who was holding it up strainfully. “Well, Isaac, I simply am quite fond of wolves. Only humans have more of my favor, but to be honest, I find your forms quite boring.”

 _So, he can read his thoughts too..._ “Anyway, dad, I brought the kids here so that you can weight their souls.” Io said as the wolf turned his attention back to her. _Weight our souls?_

Nature turned back to Cassandra as she thought, “Yes, weighing souls. The blood is the gateway to the soul, and vice versa. My daughter must test you before you can become knights under me, and to do so we must know what demon lies in your soul. For example, Io and her litter have the blood of the White Fatalis within them, so if I weigh her soul, I will see exactly that.”

“Cece has Amatsu Magatsuchi blood. Her eyes are blind, but she can use her powers to see with air pressure. She didn’t do it back there cuz she thought it would freak you out.” Io stated, chuckling at the last part.

“Now then, Cassandra, please step towards me.” His voice was soothing, yet Cassandra was still very tense as she stood, taking a step forward once she did. The wolf bent down, moving forward till his snout almost touched her. He closed his massive eyes, and inhaled sharply. Then, Cassandra felt it. At first, a tug. Then, a full on yank. Yet her body did not move. She looked down, and saw it. It was so clearly not her, just a ball of light and colors, yet so clearly her, a mirror or a clone. It was all these things, yet none of them.

“Is this...”

“It’s beautiful...” Isaac stated, causing Cassandra to blush profusely, as if he had seen her naked. It certainly felt like it.

Nature did not seem to notice, or maybe he simply didn’t care. Suddenly, the back hairs of the wolves around them, including Nature, stood on end, and he snarled angrily at the orb. _Is something wrong?_ Cassandra thought, frightened. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and as she turned, she saw Io’s face hovering next to hers, “Don’t worry. They’re just trying to scare the monster into showing itself.” _Monster?_

Then, the orb began to wriggle, then bubble, then full on boil, like a pot of water on a fire. The steam that came off it rose and recondensed into a cloud just over it, like a genie emerging from a lamp. The cloud became bigger forming a more defined shape. It grew darker, becoming obsidian, then gaining green, and red, until... _Brachydios?_

“No,” Nature began, the cloud Brachy nearly formed, “Raging Brachydios. An incredibly powerful sub-species. Can you procure one in time, child?”

“Of course. I might have one already in the Zoo.” Io answered. Nature nodded, and turned back to the monster. He raised a paw as the beast roared, and as it charged, he flicked his wrist. The blast of wind from the action blew the monster away, and knocked the soul back into Cassandra’s body. Just like that, the pulling sensation disappeared. _Raging Brachydios, huh. Dad fought one of those when he was a hunter..._ she thought, placing a hand over her chest where the orb came from. She looked up to see Isaac stepping up now, and uncomfortable look on his face. She flashed him a thumbs up and a grin, which he returned weakly, as Nature and the other wolves repeated the process, revealing his soul. _It really is beautiful..._ she thought as the wolves around her snarled and barked at the orb. Like hers, it bubbled and steamed, forming a cloud of it's own. Yet this cloud wasn’t dark like hers had been. No, this one was bright orange, then yellow and red, and then.

 _No..._ a sick feeling smacked her in the gut at she saw the monster form, _It’s that monster?!_

“No way.” Isaac said in a half whisper, hand over his even paler than usual mouth.

“Yes. The Teostra.” Nature announced as the great fire dragon roared.

“T-that monster...” she had a hard time breathing looking at it, like the wind had been knocked out of her.

“That's the monster that killed my dad.” Isaac finally managed to choke out, fists clenched at his side.

**Oh no, drama bomb! Right at the end, too. Next chapter, get ready for incredible action, as Isaac faces off against the creature that took his family away! By the way, to clarify some things in the chapter, Cecilia has a British accent, but since Britain doesn't exist in the context of their universe, it was kinda hard to describe whilst writing. Also, did you see what I did there? With the HUD concept? Did you catch that? Cuz I feel damn proud about it. Anyway, thank you, the Ao3 community, for your hits and your wonderful comments, and I'll see you in the next installment of Black and White!**

**Update: Recently, I've been very active on the tumblr account for the story. If you haven't already been to it, if you want to know more about the characters, the story, or the silly stuff I post, then I recommend checking it out[here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/blackandwhitehunter). I've already posted the story as well as simple character bios for Cassandra and Isaac. Also, it also acts as an ask blog, so if you have any questions for me or for any of the characters, you can shoot me an ask, even if you don't have an account. Anyway, see you later, and happy hunting!**

 


	9. The Demons in our Souls: Isaac's Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac must fight the monster that murdered his father. Will he win, or will history repeat itself?

There was a knock on the door, but she already knew who it was. _Today’s the day, huh?_ she thought as she pulled the door open. Aiden had already visited twice this week, just to check in on the two, and now he was here to pick them up. Cassandra was already clad in her armor (helmet off of course), and had her hammer resting beside the door.

“Are you all set to depart?” he asked as she led him inside.

“I’m all set, just waiting on Isaac.” she said, trying to appear confident when she really didn’t feel it. She had been dreading this day, actually, and with good reason.

“Has he still not left his room?” Aiden asked, knowing the answer.

Cassandra sighed, crossing her arms, “Only to eat in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom. Other than that, no.”

“You never did tell me what happened.”

Cassandra took a seat on the couch, motioning for him to follow. “You know how I told you that Isaac’s monster is a Teostra, right?” He nodded and she continued, “Well, do you know who Isaac’s dad was?”

“I don’t believe I do. I don’t really pay attention to the lives of other hunter’s much, unless I know them personally.”

“Isaac’s dad was a hunter too. Bulletstorm Ben, that's what people called him. Isaac and I were his biggest fans.” She wore a sad smile as she looked back at it all. “Then, his mom got sick, and the bills started to pile up, so he would go hunting more and more, yet he always had time to play with us.”

She sighed, feeling the old pangs of grief in her stomach. “One day, he didn’t come back. He just...didn’t come back.” She rubbed her hand on her face, pushing back the feeling to cry, “We found out later that Teostra attacked him on his way back from the hunt. Isaac’s never fought one probably because of that.”

“I’m sorry...for your loss. But I don’t really understand. Shouldn’t Isaac want to kill Teostra because of his father?”

“I guess you really don’t understand, then. Isaac does want to kill one. But, this is Bulletstorm Ben we’re talking about. To kill one, Isaac feels that he has to be better than his dad, and I don’t think, with all his confidence, that he feels like that at all.” _I really don’t feel all that confident either_ she thought, looking down at her hands _If I can’t find out what’s wrong before my fight..._

“I guess that makes some sense, in that context. However, Cassy, I’d also like to know how **you** are doing?”

“I’m...I’m fine. Just fine.” she lied, trying not to make eye contact. _Should I tell him? Maybe he can help..._

“Why are you lying, Cassandra?” he asked quite innocently, like a child would to their parents.

“What? I’m not...I...how...”

“You are quite terrible at it.” he pointed out bluntly, making her look away in embarrassment. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Can I join the tea party?” Isaac asked, leaning against the hallway entrance across from them.

They turned to him quickly, surprised by his sudden appearance. _First time in 4 days...wait, is that..._ “You’re not wearing your Rathian stuff?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

No longer was he wearing his Rathian armor. Now, he wore a scale mail shirt with a heavy leather chest plate, padded black pants, boots, and a tall leather trench coat. Cassandra recognized the coat as his mother’s, except it and his other clothes looked filled to the brim with traps and gadgets.

He shrugged and scratched his head, “This stuff should work a little better. ‘Sides, I never really liked green anyway.” _He sounds so...sad._ she thought, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.

Aiden stood up from the couch. “Now that your armor is in order, we should probably get moving. We don’t have much time to dally.” he said walking towards the door, seemingly forgetting his question to Cassandra, to which she was grateful.

She headed towards the exit as well, stepping right next to her friend. As they stepped onto the road towards their caravan, she turned to Isaac, who was uncharacteristically quiet. “Isaac, are you ok?” she whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder to put herself closer to his ear.

He withdrew from her touch. “No.” he replied plainly, looking away from her as he walked, “But I will be in a few hours.”

 

* * *

 

 

They made it to the arena in relative silence, besides the crowd waiting outside. _Wow, there’s a ton of people today! Probably because of Aiden, but still..._ Many people came to their arena fights normally, but that population basically doubled for this fight. She turned from the window of the wagon to Isaac, but stopped before she relayed this information, remembering his condition at the moment. _He probably still wants to be alone. Looks like he got some work done while he was in his room, though..._ She noticed that a lot of the machinery on him looked much more advanced than the ones he normally used. _He’s really prepared for this one. But, I’m....what if it happens again?_

They left the wagon straight to the back of the arena, away from the crowd’s sight. As they entered, they were greeted by the arena staff, and led to the prep room. “The first fight today will be Isaac’s, so you can go to the stand for now, Ms.Everly.” one of the attendants said.

“Oh, alright.” She turned to her friend, who was already loading bullets into a magazine. “Good luck, giant. And please be careful.”

“Good luck yourself, short stack. You know hunting’s my **arena** of expertise.” he joked in return as she and Aiden left the room.

“He is going to be fine, right?” Aiden asked as they walked up the steps to the stand.

“I know he will be.” _This is his fight to fight. I just have to trust him._

They saw waving in the first row, and they looked over the crowd to see Io, “Hey kids, over here!” They pushed through and took a seat next to the older hunter. As Cassandra leaned forward on the bench, she noticed a distortion over the field. _Glass?_

“It’s to keep any of the fire from entering the stand.” Aiden pointed out, noticing her confusion. “Is Cecilia coming?”

“Naw. She’s got work at the library to finish, probably preparing to awaken these two.” Io answered.

“Ladies and gentlemen, hunters and huntresses! Welcome to another exciting arena match, with me, your host, Chuck Chasley!” announced the arena speaker through the amplifier horn at the top of the stands, over the roar of the crowd. “Joining me is my new co-host, Bert Basley! In just a few minutes, our first hunter of the day, Isaac Mechanos, will face off against the deadly king of fire, the lord of the volcano, the Teostra!”

“Could you tell me a little more about Isaac before the fight, Chuck?” the other announcer, Bert asked.

“Right! For all you newbies to the arena (like you, Bert), Isaac is a regular around these parts. After taking on the title of Mechanical hunter from his mom, Amelia, two years ago, he quickly rose through the hunter ranks to become the youngest G-rank hunter in the region, at only 16. He likes to use arena fights to display new hunting equipment that he’s invented. In fact, he just sent up a list of the new ones. I will display them under the bars as the information becomes relevant.” _And yet the guild won’t approve his schematics, even though time and time again he’s proven that they are useful and practical, because he doesn’t have a blacksmithing license._ Cassandra thought bitterly.

“Ok, so I get the Mechanical hunter part, but why is he also called the Suicide sniper?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see for that one.” Chuck said with a chuckle.

“Was that just a Chuck-le I heard, Chuck?” Isaac’s voice echoed through the horn as the hunters gate opened in the arena. Everyone giggled at the terribleness of the pun.

“At least we know his Seltas speaker works.” Bert noticed as the crowd hushed for the hunter’s entrance. _At least he sounds a little better. Must be the adrenaline._

“Here we go, without further ado, the Suicide sniper, Isaac Mechanos!” With a look of determination, Isaac stepped forward towards the center of the arena, surrounded by the roar of the crowd. Cassandra stood up and waved, hollering to get his attention. He glanced over and nodded, flashing his famous grin with a wink that made Cassandra blush for some reason.

Then, the doors opposite to him started to open, and he brought his Agna Magnum to his chest in preparation. “In the other corner, coming in at 1856 cm in length,” Chuck started as a figure slowly approached in the shadows of the gate, “weighing in at over 6 tons,”he continued. The monster’s head was out first, then it’s wings, flapping intimidatingly. “Lord of cinder, the Teostra!” Chuck exclaimed as the beast completely exited the enclosure, walking slowly towards Isaac with a look of malice on it’s purple scaled maw. Isaac looked just as fiercely determined, and the two started to circle the other, like two predators fighting for dominance. _Oh god! Isaac, please, be careful!_

“For your safety, the guild has put up the glass fire shutters around the arena field. Isaac, you have half an hour to defeat the monster. Without further ado, health bars up!” the announcer demanded, displaying Isaac’s health, stamina, and debuff bars for the audience to see over the field. “Let’s get hunting!”

With that, the great dragon turned quickly to Isaac, stopping in it’s tracks. It reared it's head down. _It’s gonna..._  Before Cassandra could finish the thought, Isaac aimed and pulled his trigger three times, each shot colliding with the beast’s mouth as it turned up to roar. “Glue shot.” Isaac said coolly as the monster thrust it’s head up, a hard, white substance preventing it from vocalizing.

“Oh right! Item one on the list, glue shot. “Bullet that releases a type of resin that instantly dries on contact with air.”” Chuck recited, reading off Isaac’s list as the monster clawed at it’s face. _Fricken A, dude! He only has 17 rounds left, though. Be smart with them!_ Isaac wouldn’t give the monster time to remove the glue. With a tap on the side of the gun, he switched magazines with a new type of ammo. The words “Mag switch” appeared under the health bar as Isaac started sprinting towards the monster.

“You guys wanna see something cool?” Isaac asked breathlessly, his words amplified by the horn as he rushed towards the distracted Teostra. He didn’t wait for an answer. He jumped up as he reached the beast, launching into the air. A gasp rang out through the crowd as he landed...right on the monster's face! Immediately, he placed the muzzle of the bow gun on one of the royal purple horns of the beast, and pulled the trigger on automatic. A barrage of bullets impacted the horn, each one embedding itself deep in the bone. The recoil knocked him back off the creature, who bit down so hard in shock that it shattered the glue.

“That was amazing!” Bert exclaimed in awe as Isaac tumbled, finally landing on his feet.

“You ain’t seen nothin yet.” Isaac retorted, folding his arms and watching his opponent. The Teostra shook it’s head, turning to Isaac with a snarl. _What is he doing? Why is he just standing still?!_ The monster took the opportunity to charge, running full speed at Isaac. Isaac stood as still as a statue, a smile on his face as the monster pounced, bearing down on him. It released it's fire aura, opening it’s maw to bite down on the cocky morsel, and... Probably no one but Isaac (and maybe Io) expected the explosion. It’s entire left horn erupted in a ball of force and flame, blasting the Teostra into the ground beside Isaac, who began to run away from the beast, circling the arena to place small metal objects in seemingly random positions. “Told ya it’d be cool.” _He’s not just trying to kill it. He’s trying to dominate it!_ Cassandra thought in awe of her friend’s fight.

“In all my years of spectating, I’ve never seen such a spectacular display of talent, so early on!” Chuck stated as the beast got back on it’s feet, it’s left horn completely gone. “In less than 5 minutes, Isaac has removed the Teostra’s horn!”

“Heat activated explosives. What a genius tactic.” Aiden admired.

“Cocky little bastard, ain’t he? I can work with cocky.” Io said with a chuckle, folding her arms over her chest.

The monster roared finally, and Isaac kicked into action. Running as fast as he could, he rushed the monster again. With a click, the barrel of the gun folded in half, and Isaac fell back to slide on the ground. The Teostra, who had been running at him as he was it, was very confused as the hunter slid underneath it, unleashing a torrent of bullets to it’s undercarriage. It roared in pain, toppling over as Isaac appeared on the other side, jumping quickly to his feet. _But those were just practice pellet shots! They aren’t even rated to kill Great Jaggi, why the hell did he do that?_

“Here, kitty kitty!” Isaac taunted as the monster jumped up, enraged. “Come and get me!” The beast needed no encouragement in that respect. It charged at him, it’s flame aura surrounding it as it bounded towards the hunter. Isaac didn’t wait for it. He also sprinted, away from the monster who was currently aiming to tear him limb from limb.

“It’s like a game of Felyne and mouse here, Chuck.” Bert noticed, concentrating on Isaac’s movement as the Teostra chased him around the arena.

“You’re right about that, Bert. Knowing Isaac, though, he’s got a plan.” As soon as the announcer finished, Isaac suddenly veered off towards the center of the field, the Teostra following close behind. As Isaac reached a point a little past the middle, he stopped in his tracks and bent his long legs down as far as they could go. As soon as the monster was nearly touching him, he released, and with a metallic click he soared up into the air farther than humanly possible. The crowd gasped as the hunter soared over the Teostra, the words “Pop Boots” hovering in the invention list section of the bars. The Teostra had too much momentum to stop, and it could only watch in awe as Isaac aimed in mid air.

“I don’t believe it...” Chuck said in awe of the spectacle.

“Gotcha kitty.” he said as he shot his bowgun. The shots didn’t hit the monster, however. They sailed past it, impacting the ground in front of the beast. “Slick shot” was what the list said as the Teostra sailed into the liquid pool in front of it. It really couldn’t stop moving then, the liquid was much too slippery. It barreled forward, right into a bed of the metal objects Isaac had laid down earlier. With several clicks, the objects whirled to life. Each one popped up a cylinder, which began to rotate, causing long, thread-like blades to fill the air. “Whip wire mines”. The Teostra roared in agony as it entered the bed. “Mines that release razor sharp wire upon touch. Good for removing tough scales, and even tougher pests.”

What Isaac didn’t anticipate, however, was landing, since he never really trained with this version of his “Pop boots”. He crashed to the ground, the wind audibly leaving his body. “Oh, what a fall! Will he recover before the Teostra catches up to him?!” Chuck announced in anticipation, Isaac’s health bar going down a little. _Oh, please just get up Isaac!_

The Teostra was out of the trap now, and clearly enraged. It’s purple and red scales partially replaced by pink flesh, it’s fire aura surrounding it once more, it pounced at the fallen Isaac. It flapped it’s wings, hovering in mid air as it reared back it’s head once more. “Oh no folks! It’s looking bad for our Suicide sniper now! Will he be able to dodge in time, or will he be burnt alive?”

“Neither!” Isaac exclaimed as he whipped out a long, thin, red plate from under his trench coat. As the monster opened it’s mouth, the plate expanded into a giant shell that completely covered him. “Volvi-shield.” the beast released a jet of flame that engulfed the shield. “Made from the back shell of a Volvidon, it can repel even the hottest of fires.” _In just four days... He wasn’t moping, he was working so hard on all of this!_ She was very proud of her friend, then.

Underneath the shield, Isaac was ready to leave. Switching his mags with a tap, he kicked his legs up, planting his feet against the shell. “Well, this plan went up in flames real quick, huh?” he said, as the breath subsided. With a click of his heels, the pop boots activated, launching the shield like a missile against the Teostra’s face. Using this opportunity, Isaac quickly jumped back onto his feet, and began to run in an arch around the monster. He unleashed a barrage of bullets on the disoriented king, some bouncing off and some embedding themselves inside it’s exposed flesh.

“What a beautifully orchestrated tactic! He used the mines to remove the scales so that his bullets could get a grip in the flesh!” Chuck exclaimed excitedly over the the horn, hyping up those in attendance to a proud frenzy. _Aiden and Io look impressed_ , Cassandra noticed.

The Teostra wasn’t going to just take the bullets, however. Weakened, but not defeated, it continued to charge at Isaac, who would veer left and right to get good shots at it’s sides. _Wait, what's that?_  Cassandra thought, hearing something faint over the horn. _It sounds like...whispering. No, it’s definitely whispering!_ Now that she focused on it, she could make out what it said. “79, 80, 81,82...” _It’s Isaac! What is he counting down for?_

“Wait. Everyone hush!” Bert announced suddenly, causing the whole arena to quiet down in confusion.

“95, 96...” Isaac got louder now, stopping his bombardment.

“What is he...” Chuck started as the monster began to hover over the ground.

“Everyone, get down!” Isaac exclaimed suddenly, falling to the ground with his hands over his ears. Immediately, everyone from the crowd dropped down, following suit, as the beast was engulfed in flame.

The explosion cracked the entire glass ceiling, knocking some of the glass shards from the center high into the sky. Luckily, none of the shards landed amongst the audience, who was literally shaken up by the blast. _He was counting the seconds till Supernova!_

“Is everyone ok?” Bert asked over the horn. The audience wasn’t paying attention, waiting in anticipation for the smoke to settle in the dome. As it did, slowly flowing out of the hole and the cracks in the dome, they saw the outcome of the fight.

“This...is incredible.” the announcer began in awe of what he saw then, “In less than 15 minutes, using the monster’s own Supernova, Isaac Mechanos has successfully hunted the Teostra!” Isaac stood in front of the monster, it’s chest still. It was covered in holes, each bullet ripping off chunks of flesh during their respective detonations. He turned to face the crowd, his gun raised over his head in triumph as the crowd roared in applause.

It was Cassandra who first noticed that something was wrong. _What’s that black stuff on it’s mouth?_ She thought as a strange black mist hovered weakly over it’s lips. This observation swept through the crowd, turning applause into whispers of confusion and fear. Noticing this, Isaac turned to see the monster begin to convulse violently, black and red froth pouring out of the sides of it's mouth. “What the hell?” he asked under his breath, switching mags once more as the beast shuffled awkwardly on it’s feet, like it was new born.

“What is this? The monster’s still alive?!” Chuck asked frantically, not believing what he was seeing.

“Nope. It’s dead as a doorknob.” Io stated with her arms still folded over her chest.

“It must have been a recent infection as well. The strain already took out the brain inhibitor.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about?! If it’s dead, then why is it still moving?” Cassandra asked confused as the monster clicked it's bones weirdly and shook.

“Frenzy strain 14- Resurrect. It’s a type of parasite that can only affect young, dead dragons.” Io explained pensively. “After death, it hatches from it’s egg and attaches to the brain stem, and is remotely controlled by the Shagaru that gave it to the victim. It destroys the brain’s inhibitor, allowing the monster to move faster, hit harder, and use it’s powers much more efficiently without caring if it’s muscles rip or tear. Classic power move.”

The monster roared with new life, the scream piercing through the air like an arrow. It was the most terrifying roar Cassandra had ever heard. The Teostra immediately released it’s flame aura, and pounced at the hunter. He attempted to dodge, veering to the left of the undead beast. Yet, as fast as he was, he was too slow for the monster who could no longer feel tired. With a swipe of it’s paw, it slammed the hunter against the wall of the arena. Cassandra gasped as his health bar went down rapidly. She turned to Io angrily, “If you knew it was frenzied why did you let him fight it?”

She merely shrugged, “He said he wanted to fight the monster that killed his dad.” she pointed down to the monster, who was walking jankly towards Isaac, who was just starting to get back on his feet. “Look down at that. That's how Bulletstorm died.”

“This is an incredible turn of events here folks! The Teostra lives, and it seems to have the upper hand!”

Isaac pulled a mega potion from his pack and started running from the Teostra. As soon as the bottle reached his lips, the monster pounced. It jumped and spun in mid-air, it’s tail slamming against his chest. The bottle flew away from him, and he hit the wall once more. This time, as his health continued to dwindle, he stayed on his feet against the stone. He looked up to see the monster rearing back for a flame attack. _Run, Isaac!_ He quickly strafed right as the flame burned into the wall. The Teostra turned slowly, scorching the wall more and closer to him as he ran from the breath attack.

“I’m not done yet!” Isaac exclaimed as he jumped up and kicked against the wall, his pop boots activating as they touched the stone. He launched again into the air, trying to escape the flames. _Why isn’t he shooting?!_ Cassandra thought frantically as the monster spread it's tattered wings and pushed down hard. It too flew into the air, and with one flick of it’s neck, it headbutted Isaac into the glass ceiling above.

“Isaac!” Cassandra screamed in terror, her best friend cracking the ceiling even more. Blood exploded out of his mouth as his back stuck to the glass from the force, like a fly hitting a trap. He finally fell after a second, his blood falling in a rain below him. The Teostra didn’t even wait for him to hit the ground. It covered itself in flames like a contained supernova attack, and dove at him like a bullet. It tackled him in midair, causing him to fly into the ground and skid, his trench coat partially on fire. He flopped on the ground, finally landing against the wall, gun at his side. If Cassandra couldn’t see the health bar, which only had just a hair of green left, she would have sworn that he had already died.

“He’s had enough already! Fire the sedatives now!” Bert ordered. From the gates, Felynes carrying bowguns appeared and opened fire on the Teostra.

“It’s not working, meowster!” the Felynes exclaimed, the syringes doing nothing to stop the Teostra, who was walking slowly towards the fallen hunter.

“The drugs won’t work if it’s heart’s not beating.” Io stated, eyes closed in thought.

Cassandra had had enough. She jumped onto the ledge of the arena, holding her hammer up high to smash the glass. As she was about to ram it down, she felt an iron grip on her wrist.

“Don’t.” Io ordered cooly, holding her hand with an impossibly strong grip. She struggled anyway.

“If I don’t do anything, he’ll die!”

“Io, I think Cassandra’s right on this one.” Aiden said, standing with a hand on the hilt of his sword.

“No. Just watch and learn, kids.” Io retorted, pointing down at the hunter as he started to laugh weakly, the monster only a couple feet away. _His gun, it’s smoking on it’s own!_ She thought that the fire caused it to smoke slightly before, yet even now, it released clouds of smog. It crackled in red and black lightning.

“Hey...kitty...” The monster bent it’s head down, about to release one more blast of flame. “Don’t forget...” Isaac said weakly, the gun pointed up towards the beast. “...to smile...” He pulled the trigger, and the world was engulfed in white light. A beam of pure dragon energy blew out of the muzzle of the gun, tearing through half of the monster’s face, through the glass of the ceiling, and past Dundorma itself. The words “Dragon Slayer shot” appeared above the dome as the beast fell, almost half of it’s body completely obliterated. “Experimental ammo that releases a concentrated Deviljho-based beam. Extremely effective at killing elder dragons, and as of now, destroying the gun that fired it.”

Io let go of Cassandra’s hand with a smirk. _Isaac,_ was all  she thought as she smashed into the glass and into the arena, the audience still in awe at the fight. She and Aiden ran over to the hunter, who stopped moving shortly after the attack.

“Isaac? Isaac!” she called, holding his shoulders while shaking him slightly. Aiden came up next to her, holding a small yellow rod. He snapped it in half and held it under Isaac’s nose. He jolted a little, and turned up sheepishly to Cassandra, who was on the verge of tears.

“That fight...was a little...teos-ty...right?” Isaac joked weakly, gasping on every other word. She pulled him into a hug as the crowd roared, his health bar above them now switched with the words “Mission Cleared!”.


End file.
